


I Like Me Better

by hashtagsalads



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Zombies, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 99,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22217977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hashtagsalads/pseuds/hashtagsalads
Summary: Clementine Everett is all set to have her best year of high school yet, or so she thinks. When Lee suddenly loses his job, she's swept away to a small town in West Virginia, far from her friends, home, and everything she's ever known. Her expectations for her last year of high school are quite low, until someone unexpected shows up in her life and turns her world upside down. Along with him comes a new group of friends, and just what Clementine needs to see that she can find someplace else to call home.
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 114
Kudos: 204





	1. Chapter 1

“Clementine, make sure you do your laundry. Tomorrow’s your first day at your new school and I don’t want you making a bad first impression,” Lee said as he cleaned up their dinner plates, “AJ, you can help me with the dishes.”

Clem rolled her eyes but agreed and started heading towards her bedroom while her younger brother clambered off to the kitchen after their father. As she walked up the stairs, she muttered to herself, “Not like it’s going to matter. I’m a senior. Probably won’t make any friends anyway.”

Before they’d moved, Clementine had actually been looking forward to her last year of high school. Besides being an all-star on the softball team, she had a tight-knit group of friends and a perfect 4.0. Clem was all set to make MVP this year, go to homecoming, go to prom, all the usual teen stuff. She’d been looking forward to late nights, sneaking out for a change, and the senior trip to Tybee Island. All she’d wanted was to make lasting memories that she could look back on when she went away to college.

But then, Lee had suddenly lost his job at the University of Georgia throwing their lives into disarray. When she’d pressed him for details, he’d told her that it was budget cuts, which seemed strange to her. He’d looked all over Georgia for a new one with little success. Much to Clem’s dismay, he’d turned his search outward until he finally landed a job in West Virginia. So, they’d moved, and now all she had to look forward to was graduation, which felt like it was light years away.

She sighed wistfully and tried hard not to think about the life they’d had to leave behind in Georgia. Or the people she’d had to walk away from: her best friends, Duck, Sarah, and Gabe. They’d all known each other since elementary school which had made them practically inseparable. Naturally, people paired them off, assuming that Duck and Sarah were a couple, along with Gabe and Clem. Only one of those assumptions was true.

Though she’d sensed that her feelings for Gabe were mutual, he’d never actually asked her out. Clementine thought maybe this would be the year he’d finally do something. Like, maybe he’d ask her to homecoming and they’d kiss on the bleachers during the football game that neither of them cared about. Or he’d get up the nerve to ask her to prom, maybe during one of her softball games, lit up on the score board. Or he’d kiss her on Tybee Island, when the seniors had their annual bonfire and then they’d walk along the beach holding hands under the stars.

She felt a painful squeeze in her heart when she remembered that none of that would be happening now. Instead, they’d said a tearful goodbye, and he promised he’d try to visit during winter break. Clementine had expected to hear from him by now, but so far he hadn’t even sent her so much as a text.

Perhaps cleaning up would be a welcome distraction from checking her phone obsessively. Clem darted around her room and gathered up the clothes that were strewn about the floor and on the chair at her desk. Then, she made her way down to the main floor, then down the basement stairs to where their laundry room was. When she neared the bottom of the stairs, she heard a crashing sound and felt her heart freeze. As she listened closely, she could hear the sounds of rummaging and footsteps and knew for sure that there was an intruder in her house.

Luckily, it was she who had the element of surprise. Apparently whoever it was hadn’t heard her coming down the stairs. Clementine set her laundry basket down lightly and snuck quietly down the hall to the laundry room.

As she threw the light on, Clem used the most menacing tone she could muster and said, “You’ve got about five seconds to explain how you broke in and what you’re doing in my basement before I start throwing things.” To emphasize her threat, she reached for a softball that was conveniently sitting inside one of the unpacked boxes they’d stashed there.

At first, the young man had the decency to look scared. His dreads swung as his head swiveled to look in her direction, his deep brown eyes wide. He was tall and looked lean, but still muscular, though it was hard to tell under his long coat. As she continued to stare, she noticed he had a smattering of freckles across the dark skin of his face. Somehow, even though he’d broken into her house, the fleeting thought that he was cute crossed her mind.

Clementine didn’t have long to contemplate why, because after he’d gotten a good look at her, a cocky grin overtook his face. The boy crossed his arms and leaned against her washing machine, saying, “I don’t have a reason, really. Just wanted to see if I could.”

His answer irritated her, and her fingers dug into the softball in her hand. Before she could make good on her threat, Lee’s voice carried down the stairs, asking, “Everything all right down there, Clem? I thought I heard something fall.”

The confidence faded quickly from the young man as he straightened up and whispered, “Shit! Is that your dad?”

“Yes, and he’ll be down here to kick your ass in two seconds if I tell him you’re here,” Clem replied, smirking at him.

“Please don’t!” the boy begged, clasping his hands together, “I promise, I’ll leave right now.”

“Clementine?” Lee called again, his tone sounding more anxious.

There was something in his eyes that made her think his earlier arrogance had been an act. Maybe it was how desperate he looked. Maybe it was because he promised to leave. Clem didn’t really know why, but something compelled her to lie as she responded, “I’m fine, Lee! I just knocked over a box.”

“All right, just thought I’d check!” Lee yelled back before he closed the door to the basement.

The would-be cat burglar breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank you. My dad told me he’d send me to boarding school if I fucked up again.”

“Maybe he should,” Clementine replied, still not letting go of the softball.

The stranger just laughed as he crossed the room and said, “Oh, he _definitely_ should. But thanks to you, he won’t be doing it any time soon. See you later!”

“Wait!” Clem called, but it was too late. The boy had already pulled himself up and through the small window that he’d undoubtedly used to sneak in. She hurried across the laundry room to see if she could still catch him, but found that he was already running through her backyard and scaling the fence.

For some reason, she felt as though she wished she’d learned his name. However, she then reminded herself that if he was the kind of guy to randomly break into someone’s house, she probably shouldn’t be hanging out with him anyway.

Still her thoughts kept straying to him, especially when she was trying to fall asleep that night. She stared at the ceiling, thinking about the sound of his laugh and the way he smiled at her right before he left. It had been more genuine than the first smile he’d given her. Somehow, she had a feeling the whole arrogant jerk thing had just been a cover. Like some kind of defense-mechanism or something.

She supposed she’d never know, since the chances of running into him again were slim to none.

For some reason, the idea of that made Clementine feel a little sad, though she didn’t know why.

At that moment, Clem felt her phone vibrate and saw that it was a text from Gabe:

**Gabe [00:17]:** _Good luck tomorrow, Clem. I know you’ll knock em dead._

She grinned and tapped out a quick reply:

**Clementine [00:18]:** _Thanks! Won’t be the same without you guys._

She almost left off the ‘guys’ at the end, but changed her mind at the last second. Whatever possibility of romance there could have been between them died the day Lee told her they were moving to West Virginia. No sense in indulging in anymore light flirtation or hinting in hopes that he’d finally admit how he felt.

Her phone didn’t buzz again for the rest of the night, and she fell into a fitful sleep, waking up every couple of hours until her alarm went off in the morning.

Clementine dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt instead of trying to look nice. She wondered if Lee would make her change, but decided she’d rather roll the dice than try to pretend to be something she wasn’t. The last thing she put on was her favorite trucker hat emblazoned with the letter ‘D.’ No one knew what it stood for, but Clem didn’t really care. It was the last thing her dad had given her before he died, and it meant more to her than anything in the world.

When she made it downstairs, she saw that Lee and AJ were already up, with Lee standing over the stove. He turned away from what he was doing and said, “Morning, sweet pea! How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” Clementine lied, not wanting to worry him, “What are you making for breakfast?”

“Oh, I’m making a very special, ‘Happy First Day’ breakfast,” Lee replied, a smile on his face. He gave her a quick once over, but said nothing about her outfit, for which she was grateful.

As she sat down at the table, Lee presented her with a plate that had a very questionable looking pancake on it. He’d done his best to make it look like it was smiling, but it had turned out to be more of a grimace. Its eyes were made of banana slices and chocolate chips, which gave it a creepy stare.

“This looks like you tortured it,” Clem said before she could stop herself from giggling. When he raised a brow at her, she tried to stifle her laughter and said with as straight a face as she could, “But in a good way. Thanks, Lee.”

“You’re welcome, Clem,” he said, laughing along with her as he took a second look at it, “I promise, my second batch will be better.”

“As long as it tastes good, then it’s perfect,” Clementine replied, using her fork to grab a bite. Even though the pancake looked like it had been through hell and back, it still tasted delicious, especially with maple syrup.

AJ joined her at the table with his own plate of pancakes. He dug in hungrily, getting syrup all over his face. “Slow down there, goofball. You might want to actually taste your food, huh?” Clem said, smiling at her younger brother.

“Yeah, but I’m hungry,” AJ told her around a mouthful of pancakes, “And I want seconds.”

“How do you know that if you haven’t even finished your firsts?” Clementine asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Because I’m a growing boy,” AJ stated matter-of-factly, “Dad said so.”

“I also said you need to mind your table manners,” Lee reminded him sternly, sitting down at the head of the table. She could see the ghost of a smile on his lips as he reached over and started to wipe the syrup off AJ’s face with a napkin.

The little boy protested, but he was no match for Lee’s strength, and had to wait to keep eating until he was all cleaned up. This time he ate his pancakes more slowly, knowing that Lee was watching him.

Once they finished their breakfast, it was off to school for Clem and AJ and off to work for Lee. He dropped AJ off first and Clementine second. When he rolled up to the front doors of the school, she moved to get out, but Lee saying her name stopped her.

“Listen, sweet pea, I know this hasn’t been easy for you,” Lee began, as he reached out and took her hand, “I’m sorry you had to leave your friends, especially with this being your last year of school. I know how important they are to you. But I don’t want you to let that stop you from making new friends here, okay? I hate to think of you being lonely. So, will you at least try to meet some new people today?”

His plea was heartfelt, and Clementine knew he meant what he said. And she also knew that she hadn’t made this move easy on him in the slightest. Clem had fought him almost every step of the way, even though it had been just as stressful for him. She could see guilt in his eyes, and felt her own guilt work its way to the surface.

“I’ll try, I promise,” Clem finally replied, giving his hand a squeeze.

“That’s all I ask. Now you’d best get inside. I don’t want you to be late to your first class,” Lee said, patting her on the head like he did when she was little.

Clementine didn’t really want to be late either. After all, the only thing she still had going for her was her perfect 4.0. A lot of teachers knocked off points if you were late to class too, so she didn’t want to take any chances. If she had any hope of getting back to Georgia, she needed to make sure her GPA was perfect so she’d have her pick of schools.

She arrived to her first class of the day—AP Calculus—just in time to find out that there was assigned seating. It was based on last names, and she was paired with a girl named Ruby Evans. Ruby was certainly a fitting name for the girl, who had bright red hair tied up in a messy bun. She was robust, with a round face, green eyes, and a somewhat sour expression. Clem wondered if it was because she wasn’t a morning person, or if it had something to do with their seating assignment.

She remembered Lee’s words and decided to introduce herself, saying, “Hi, my name’s Clementine.”

“I know,” she said, her accent thick and southern, “I read yer name tag.”

“Right,” Clem chuckled nervously, already dreading the rest of the semester, “So that makes you Ruby.”

“Sure does,” Ruby replied, adding sarcastically, “Glad to know you can read.”

Yikes. This was going about as well as Clem had originally suspected it would. She could only hope that Ruby would either warm up to her, or transfer out of the class. The latter seemed more likely than the former at this point.

Before she could say anything else, the morning announcements started over the PA system. Once they finished, their instructor took his place at the front of the class signaling the start of the lesson. He was tall, with dark hair and a receding hairline. His most prominent feature, however, were his eyes, which were each a different color. As they scanned over the room, they stopped on Clementine, and a feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

“Excuse me, Miss…” he trailed off, staring at her over the heads of the other students who turned to look at her.

“Everett,” Clem replied, her cheeks turning a similar shade of red to Ruby’s hair.

“Right. Miss Everett. Now, I’m not sure what sort of casual, backwoods school you came from down in Georgia, but here in West Virginia, we _do not_ wear hats in class,” the man said, crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked at her, “You’ll need to take it off now, or I’ll have to send you to the office for a dress code violation.”

“Sorry,” Clem mumbled, removing her hat and stuffing it into her backpack. Her cheeks were on fire at this point, and she could tell that everyone was staring at her. It was humiliating to be called out in front of all the other students like this. All she wanted was to bury her head in her backpack and not come out until the lesson was over.

“Thank you,” her teacher said, grinning smugly, which revealed he was missing a tooth. At that point, he began to speak, going over the syllabus and all of the in class expectations. However, Clementine’s embarrassment completely drowned out his words. She tried her best to keep calm, but if this was how her day was starting, then she had a feeling she wouldn’t want to see how it was going to end.

As soon as the bell rang, Clem got out of her seat as fast as she could and rushed out the door. Before she could get very far, however, a hand wrapped around her wrist. She whirled around to see who it was, and found Ruby standing there with a sympathetic look on her face.

“What do you want?” Clementine asked, not in the mood for any more of Ruby’s attitude.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry,” she drawled, a guilty look on her face, “I can be pretty prickly without my morning coffee, especially on the first day of school. I shouldn’t have been so hard on ya.”

“It’s fine” Clementine replied with a shrug. It wasn’t, but she didn’t feel like arguing.

“It’s not fine. And neither was the way Mr. Simmons yelled at ya in front of everyone. If I’d been payin’ attention I could of told ya to take yer hat off,” Ruby said, adding, “He can be a real dick sometimes.”

“Yeah, seems like it. What’s his problem anyway?” Clementine said as they started walking together towards their lockers.

“Dunno. Maybe a bug crawled up his ass and died,” Ruby laughed, causing her eyes to crinkle. It made her look kinder, and Clem found herself feeling a little more at ease. Ruby switched subjects then, asking, “So he said yer from Georgia, huh? Did ya just move here?”

“Yeah, this summer,” Clem answered with a nod.

“Sounds tough to have to leave yer friends and everything. Ya met anyone yet?”

Immediately Clem thought of the boy who’d broken into her basement. However, since she didn’t know his name, he didn’t really count. “No, not yet. I don’t really get out much,” Clementine admitted, feeling like a loser.

“Well, then, why don’t ya sit with me and my friends at lunch today? S’the least I can do for being such a crab this morning. Whadd’ya say?” Ruby said, grinning at her.

“Sounds great!” Clementine replied, glad that she wouldn’t have to navigate that social nightmare. Maybe this day was shaping up to be better than she thought. Ruby certainly seemed nicer than her initial impression suggested, so maybe she’d make a new friend after all.

When lunch finally came around, Clem instinctively looked for Gabe, Duck, and Sarah, only to remember that they wouldn’t be there. It made her sad, but only momentarily, because Ruby joined her in line seconds later, saying, “Hey Clem! How’ve the rest of yer classes been?”

“Fine so far. I didn’t wear my hat again, so nobody else yelled at me in front of the whole class,” Clementine replied, “What about yours?”

“So far so good. But I’m not new, so it’s probably been an easier day fer me,” Ruby said with a shrug, adding, “You excited to meet some new people? My friends are a lot nicer than me, and I’m sure they’ll love ya.”

“We’ll see,” Clementine shrugged, not wanting to get her hopes up. She had no doubt that Ruby’s friends were probably more easy-going, but she didn’t really believe they’d actually be close. It seemed more likely she’d sit with them for a day or two, and then they’d all go about their business like it had never happened. Rather than getting to know them, she planned on using this lunch period to scope out where the empty tables were so she’d know where to sit when they inevitably stopped inviting her to sit with them.

As they walked up to the table with their trays, Clementine took in the group of people that Ruby called friends. There were two girls with red hair who looked identical aside from their haircuts, one of whom had her arm slung around the blonde girl to her right. On the other side of her was a guy with dark skin and an afro. Several people sat with their backs to her, including another young man with dark hair, a girl with auburn hair, and a boy with a blonde mullet. It seemed like an interesting mix, and Clem wondered what she was getting herself into.

“Hey guys!” Ruby greeted them cheerfully, causing everyone to turn and look at her, “I want y’all to meet my new friend, Clementine! She just moved here from Georgia.

“Clem, this is Sophie, Minnie, Violet, Omar, Aasim, Brody, and Marlon. The only one we’re missin’ is Louis. Where is he, anyway?”

The boy with the mullet whose name she learned was Marlon said, “I think I saw him in line. Should be here any minute.”

“Well, I’m not gonna wait for him. Let’s sit down, Clem,” Ruby said, taking a seat at the table and gesturing for her to do the same.

Clementine decided to sit next to Marlon, so her back was to the rest of the lunch room. Everyone was friendly enough, asking her questions for a few minutes. Mostly just the usual stuff about why she moved, what Georgia was like, how she liked West Virginia, and so on. It was nice, and she wondered if maybe she’d be able to fit in with this group after all.

Suddenly, Ruby looked over her shoulder and said, “There he is! Clem, this is Louis. Louis, this is Clementine.”

When Clementine looked up, her gaze locked onto freckles and dark eyes which were wide with disbelief.

“No fucking way,” breathed Louis, formerly known as the boy who broke into her basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I finally finished the high school AU I said I was going to write! It only took about ten months, but hey, better late than never, right?
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone who stops by enjoys the read! I plan on updating every Saturday, so be on the lookout then if you're interested in reading on. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Clementine knew that everyone was staring at her, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Louis. Somehow he was even cuter in the light of day, the rays of sun lighting up green flecks in his dark eyes. He was wearing the same trench coat as he had last night, though the clothes underneath were different. She wondered if the coat was special to him in the same way her hat was special to her.

Marlon’s voice came from beside her, asking, “What? Do you two know each other or something?”

“Yeah, Clem. I thought ya said ya hadn’t met anyone yet,” Ruby remarked, which finally brought her out of her trance.

“Well, I…uh…” Clementine stuttered, not entirely certain if she should reveal his indiscretion to the rest of the group. After all, if she’d gotten caught breaking into someone’s house, she’d never want anyone to know, especially her friends.

Louis finally sat down, choosing the only spot left, which was next to her. His leg brushed hers for just a moment before he settled into his spot and began to speak, saying, “We didn’t officially meet until just now. You guys remember when we were playing truth or dare last night?”

“Yeah, and?” the blonde girl named Violet asked impatiently.

“And, I did the dare. Or, tried to anyway,” Louis said with a shrug as he started to eat his lunch.

“Oh my god!” Minnie exclaimed from beside Violet, “You didn’t!”

“You guys dared me to break into someone’s house, so I did. After all, I didn’t really have a choice after Violet here called me a chickenshit,” Louis explained, adding, “If Clementine hadn’t caught me, I would have had the proof, too.”

“Then why did you tell us you didn’t have the balls?” Sophie asked, raising a brow at him.

“Because I was embarrassed at nearly being beaten up by a girl, obviously,” Louis shot back with a roll of his eyes.

Marlon laughed and slapped Clem on the back, saying, “Yeah, she definitely looks like she would have kicked your ass. Why didn’t you, Clementine?”

Clem was startled to suddenly be brought back into the conversation, but regained her composure quickly and said, “He ran away before I got the chance.”

“Whatever!” Louis said with a laugh, “You let me go. Probably because I charmed you with my dashing good looks and my sparkling personality.”

“More like took pity on you after you begged me not to say anything to my dad,” Clementine replied with a smirk.

“I would hardly call that begging,” Louis retorted, his eyes sparkling, “I wasn’t even on my knees!”

“I dunno, Louis. You can be pretty pathetic sometimes,” Ruby interjected, getting into the middle of their back and forth.

Louis, however, didn’t miss a beat, and said, “ _I’m_ pathetic? Those are harsh words coming from the girl who cried when she got an A minus in chemistry last year.”

“I’m tryin’ to become a doctor someday, thank you very much!” Ruby said, crossing her arms as her cheeks turned pink.

As the two of them bickered back and forth, Clementine found herself smiling in spite of herself. She hadn’t imagined she’d actually meet anyone, let alone anyone like them. But it seemed like this group of people were friendly, fun, and welcoming, dares to break into people’s homes notwithstanding. It almost felt like she wasn’t new at all, with how at ease they seemed even with her there.

“So, what do you think?” Marlon asked her once everyone started chatting again.

“Of what?”

“Of us. Now that you’ve gotten a taste of what we’re like.”

“Oh,” Clem said, as she shifted uncomfortably from being put on the spot, “You all seem really nice.”

“Even though we dared Louis to break into your house?” Marlon challenged.

Clem thought about it for a moment before answering, “It’s not like you knew it was my house. Plus, he didn’t actually do anything while he was in there.”

“Fair enough. If it makes you feel any better, I only dared him to do it because I didn’t think he actually would. And anyone who doesn’t do their dare has to buy everyone else a slurpee at 7-11” Marlon told her.

“So did he have to buy you guys all slurpees?”

“Yeah, he did. I feel kind of bad about it now,” Marlon replied with a laugh.

“As you should!” Louis exclaimed, re-joining their conversation, “I’d say you _all_ owe me a slurpee, but I’ll take cash, too.”

Before anyone could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Everyone picked up their trays, heading their separate ways. They all told Clementine it was nice to meet her, and that they’d have to hang out soon. She hoped that they meant it.

As she walked off to her next class, she flashed a backward glance at Louis, wondering if he’d be watching her. She saw that he wasn’t, his focus on Marlon instead. For a moment she felt disappointed, but then questioned why she’d even looked in the first place with a shake of her head.

* * *

Louis watched Clementine walk towards her next class, still in a state of complete disbelief. He only tore his gaze away from her when Marlon spoke to him.

“So, that’s the girl you were telling me about?”

“Yeah. Do you see what I mean now?” Louis said, sighing wistfully.

“What? That she ‘has eyes of the purest amber, and hair that curls more beautifully than Arby’s fries?’” Marlon asked, mocking his speech from the previous night.

After he’d left her house, he’d rushed straight to Marlon to tell his best friend that he’d just met the girl of his dreams. He no longer cared about the dare, nor had he wanted to tell anyone else in the group about her, which is why he’d endured his punishment.

“Well _excuse me_ for not just describing the girls I’m interested in as ‘totally hot, bro.’ Unlike you, I have a way with words,” Louis said, turning to get one last look at her and finding that she’d already disappeared around the corner.

Marlon rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, I’m sure she’d be real impressed by you comparing her hair to shitty fast food.”

“I didn’t say it was a perfect description,” Louis retorted as they headed to math class together. He switched subjects then, saying, “I still can’t believe she was just sitting at our table. What are the odds of that? And how have I never noticed her before?”

“Because she just moved here. I guess you missed that part of the conversation,” Marlon told him.

“That explains all the boxes in her basement,” Louis murmured, thinking back on the previous night. He remembered the fierce look on her face fondly, as well as the way her fingers curled around the softball in her hand. There was no doubt in his mind that she’d have made good on her threat. Something told him that she knew how to throw that ball, and when it connected it probably would have knocked him on his ass. But he would have been fine with that, if it meant spending more time in her presence.

His thoughts were interrupted as Marlon waved a hand in his face, asking, “Hey, earth to Louis!”

“What? Sorry, I wasn’t listening,” Louis told him sheepishly.

“I can tell. Quit daydreaming and answer my question: what’s your game plan here?”

“I don’t know! She’s obviously way cooler than me! And besides me breaking into her house and lunch, we’ve barely said two words to each other. Plus, if she’s in classes with Ruby, then I doubt she’ll have any classes with me. So, there’s no way we’ll see each other in school,” Louis moaned, laying his head on his desk, “I guess my game plan is to just wallow in my feelings until the end of the year and then never see her again.”

“Or, you could ask her to Mitch’s house party at the end of the week,” Marlon suggested, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him back up.

Mitch, a friend who’d graduated the year prior and still lived with his parents, was holding a casual soiree on Friday night since he’d have the house to himself. Naturally he’d invited all of them with the promise of beer and liquor gotten from some people he’d met at community college.

“Like she’d even say yes,” Louis sighed, resting his chin on his hand.

Marlon just scoffed and said, “You’ll never know if you don’t try, dude. Just think about it.”

He didn’t get the chance to answer, because their instructor began the lesson, effectively ending their conversation. Truthfully, Louis barely heard a word of what was being taught to him. He could only think of Clementine, and the way she’d teased him at lunch before Ruby had interrupted. The idea of asking her to go to Mitch’s party made his stomach do flip-flops, and he doubted he’d ever get up the courage to actually ask her. She could say no, after all, which would be way worse than never knowing if she’d say yes. Ignorance was bliss, as they said.

Eventually the school day ended, and once he arrived home, he decided to work through his feelings at the keys of the piano. He dropped his bag, his homework going ignored, and sat down at the bench, breathing a sigh of relief. Nothing made him feel more centered than when he was playing or making music. As soon as his fingers hit the ivory bars, the world faded away.

At first he started playing all the love songs he knew, until he began to play the music that was living in his heart. Louis filled the room with sound, letting his fingers work their magic. After a while, it was as though he and the piano were one, and the music came directly from him.

His concentration was finally broken when he heard the sound of the door from the garage into the house opening and his father’s heavy footfalls across the floor. He stopped abruptly, but not soon enough it seemed, because a moment later he poked his his head into the study, saying, “How did I know I’d find you here?”

William Barclay Morgan IV was not a man to be trifled with. The stern set of his brows and the square of his shoulders suggested that Louis needed to stop what he was doing immediately. However, even without that, Louis knew the expectations his father had for him, and most of them involved being responsible and never doing anything ‘frivolous.’ Louis was almost positive that they would match up perfectly with what William’s father (William Barclay Morgan III) had likely expected of him. That was the problem with coming from a family that had old money: they often passed down the same shitty traditions such as treating your child poorly and holding them to incredibly high standards.

“You probably figured it out because you heard me playing when you got home,” Louis sighed, closing the lid on the keys.

“And what do I prefer to hear when I get home?” his dad asked, crossing his arms, a scowl on his face.

“Silence,” Louis answered robotically, rising from the bench and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“Exactly. Have you even started on your homework yet?” William said as Louis brushed past him.

“Not yet,” Louis said, not meeting his father’s eye.

“Well, you’d better get started if you ever hope to make something of yourself,” he said, closing the door to the library with a snap, “You can’t just sit around playing the piano your entire life.”

Louis rolled his eyes but chose not to respond, having heard this same speech at least a hundred times before. It was always the same old shit about how music wasn’t a real man’s career, he needed to go into business like his dad or something with some stability. How would he ever support his wife and kids? Money didn’t grow on trees, blah blah blah.

Instead, he made his way to his room quickly, shutting the door before his father could finish talking. He locked it for good measure, though he knew he wouldn’t be followed. His dad had made his point and probably had the same smug look on his face he always did. No need to drive the knife in any further.

In an act of defiance, he dropped his bag to the ground, leaving his homework still untouched. Louis took a seat at his desk instead and booted up his computer with the intention of doing some light internet stalking. Besides her name and where she lived, Louis knew next to nothing about Clementine, when all he wanted to know was everything.

He took to Facebook, typing her name into the search bar. Her page was the first result, and he clicked on it eagerly, ready to learn more. He was greeted by her profile picture, which featured her and a few people he guessed were her friends. His eyes fell on the boy who had his arm slung around Clementine’s shoulder. He looked to be about their age, with dark hair poking out from underneath the beanie he wore. Clem looked like she was leaning into him a little, and they were both smiling happily at the camera. Anyone looking at the picture would have assumed they were a couple.

Still, her bio said ‘single’ so he decided not to let the picture or his crushing sense of disappointment at seeing it dampen his enthusiasm. He clicked through the rest of her profile pictures (many of which featured the boy, whose name was Gabriel Garcia, based on the tags) to see if he could get a sense of what she was like. As he got deeper in, he saw several pictures of her in a softball uniform, confirming that she knew how to throw. He also found a few pictures of her with an older man and a younger boy. Louis guessed that they were her family, maybe her dad and her brother.

Most of the rest of her profile was private, with very few of her posts available for him to read. Her interests were also private, much to his dismay. He had no idea how he would ever hope to impress her if he couldn’t figure out what she liked. Sure, he had his devilishly handsome face and devastatingly charming personality, but what if they weren’t enough?

Louis leaned back as far as his swivel chair would let him and put his hands behind his head. As he stared at the ceiling, he wondered what Clementine was doing right now, and if she was thinking about him.

* * *

“I hate Mr. Simmons, and I hate AP Calc,” Clem muttered through gritted teeth as she tried to work through her first homework assignment of the year. He was one of the only teachers to actually give her homework, and naturally it was proving to be difficult. The man seemed as though he enjoyed putting students through their paces, and this assignment was no exception. She had half a mind to call Ruby and see if she was having just as much trouble, but she hadn’t actually gotten her desk mate’s number.

A small voice in the back of her head whispered that she should try to call Louis, but she pushed that thought aside. After all, she hadn’t gotten his number either. And she had no idea if was even good at calculus, so if she did reach out to him, she’d probably just be embarrassing herself.

Then again, he seemed like a funny guy. Maybe he would have been able to make her laugh and help her relax a little. So far this was the toughest homework she’d ever had, and she could really use something to help take the edge off.

Instead, she pulled out her phone to see if Gabe had texted her at all. He hadn’t but Sarah had, asking how her first day went. She typed out a quick message telling her it went fine and asked how everything was at home.

**Sarah [21:23]** _Weird_ _without you! Duck and I were lonely at lunch. And everyone on the softball team says it won’t be the same season without you._

**Clementine [21:25]** _All the girls are really good. They don’t need me to win the championship._ _:P_ _Just you and Duck at lunch? Where was Gabe?_

Clementine started to chew on her fingernails as she waited for Sarah to respond. She tried to go back to her homework, but she kept glancing at her phone every few seconds. When it finally did go off, she opened the message immediately.

**Sarah [21:34]** _He’s in a different lunch group than we are. :( But it’s okay! We still hung out after school. And he brought his new friend, Jane. She seems tough like you. I think you’d like her. :)_

New friend named Jane, huh? Clementine opened up the Facebook app and navigated to Gabe’s profile. On his page was a recently posted picture of him, Duck, Sarah, and a girl she didn’t recognize. He’d captioned it ‘Here’s to a successful last first day of high school!” All she could do was stare into the eyes of the girl that had her arm wrapped around Gabe’s waist. She was pretty, with short, dark hair and intense eyes. Apparently Gabe had a type.

Clementine closed the app and typed out a reply to Sarah.

**Clementine [21:40]** _It’s too bad I had to move away. I’m sure if you like her then she’d be all right in my book. Anyway, I’d better get to bed. Talk to you later! :)_

She pressed the button on her phone to lock the screen and tossed the offending device away to her bed. Maybe she’d been wrong about Gabe after all. Apparently all the times they’d almost this or nearly that didn’t actually mean anything to him. It had just been in her head, as she’d feared all along. At least, it certainly seemed that way, with how quickly he’d found someone else to replace her.

Clementine’s mouth tasted bitter as she tried to return to her homework once more. This time, the equations were harder to read, as they blurred with the tears she hadn’t expected to come. She quickly scrubbed her eyes, reminding herself that there wasn’t anything to be sad about. Gabe had never expressed interest in her, there was no proof he was actually dating this girl, Jane, and none of it mattered because he was in Georgia and she was here.

Clem gave herself a minute to get herself together, and turned back to her assignment for the final time. She didn’t let anything else distract her, and pushed through the questions until they were done. After that, she packed up her homework and got ready for bed.

When she finally settled in, she checked her phone one last time and saw something that surprised her. There was a notification from Facebook about a new friend request from none other than Louis. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his name, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if she should accept. But then she decided that she could use all the friends she could get in this new city, and tapped the button that would connect them.

She set her phone down on her nightstand and was just about to turn over when she heard a ping that sounded strangely like Facebook’s messaging app.

As the screen illuminated, she saw that it was a message from Louis.

**Louis Morgan [23:12]** _Hey Clementine! Hope it wasn’t weird that I friended you. I figured it was all right, since I’ve already broken into your house and all._

Clementine smiled in the darkness as she pictured the sheepish grin he’d likely worn when he’d written her that message.

**Clementine Everett [23:14]** _Nope, not weird at all! In fact I_ _expect_ _all the boys who’ve broken into my basement_ _to friend me_ _as soon as possible._

**Louis Morgan [23:15]** _Then you have my sincerest apologies for not sending the request sooner!_ _Can you ever forgive me for my lack of haste?_

**Clementine Everett [23:16]** _I think all could be forgiven. For a price._

**Louis Morgan [23:16]** _Name it, and it shall be yours._

At that, she hesitated. What could she possibly ask of him when they barely knew each other? She’d mostly been kidding, but now she felt like she had to come up with something. Whatever it was, it should be something small and inconsequential.

**Clementine Everett [23:18]** _How about you buy me a green tea at lunch tomorrow?_

**Louis Morgan [23:19]** _But of course! The lady has named her price, and she shall have it._

**Clementine Everett [23:20]** _Then I shall be looking forward to it. :) See you tomorrow!_

**Louis Morgan [23:20]** _Indeed! I will see you on the morrow, green tea in hand!_

His insistence at maintaining such formal speech made her smile. She found herself actually looking forward to school instead of dreading it as she had the previous night. As she drifted off, visions of green tea and freckles danced behind her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at Louis sliding into those DMs like a champ. :D
> 
> **Edited to add that Jane has been aged down to 18 for the purposes of this fic.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who kudosed and read the last chapter, and thank you to everyone who who enjoys this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Clementine decided to get to class early so she could ask Ruby about the homework from the night prior. A part of her hoped that her desk mate had just as much trouble as she did so she wouldn’t feel like the only one. On the other hand, it would probably be more beneficial to both of them if Ruby did understand the homework. That way at least one of them would be able to make it through the course in one piece.

When she sat down, Ruby slid a Starbucks cup her direction and said, “Another peace offering. Figured ya could use it after the assignment he gave us.”

“Thank you,” Clem said gratefully as she took the cup and sipped the hot liquid. It was sweet and tasted of caramel. She thought about telling Ruby preferred tea, but decided against it since the other girl appeared to have not had enough coffee yet.

“Yer welcome. Didn’t know what you’d like, so I just got somethin’ simple,” Ruby said, taking a long drink from her own coffee cup, “So, what’d you think of the assignment?”

“It was awful. Does Mr. Simmons hate students or what?” Clem asked, pulling out her papers so she and Ruby could compare their answers.

“Probably. Rumor is he used to be a nice guy until some kid knocked out his tooth. After that, he got mean,” Ruby said with a shrug, as she slid her homework over, “Should of warned ya about that, too. I knew this was gonna be a tough class when I signed up for it.”

“I definitely expected it to be harder than a regular math class, but this feels like a lot. Especially since it’s just a test to see how much we already know,” Clementine said, as she and Ruby bent over their work together.

When they compared everything, they saw that all of their answers were the same, which reassured Clementine. No matter how confident she was in her own abilities, it was still nice to have someone confirm that she’d answered the questions correctly. It also made her feel better about the rest of the semester, since she could see that Ruby would make a good desk mate.

“Well, either we’re both wrong or we’re both right. At least we’re both consistent,” Ruby said with a rueful grin as she sat back in her seat.

Clementine laughed and said, “I’m glad we have something going for us.”

“Yeah, but I can already tell this semester is gonna drive me bananas. It’s a good thing Mitch is havin’ a party this Friday so I can blow off some steam,” Ruby sighed. A moment later her eyes lit up and she said, “Hey, you wanna come?”

“To Mitch’s party? I don’t even know who Mitch is,” Clementine said, trying to decide if Lee would even let her go, “Do you really think he’d be okay with a stranger showing up to his party?”

“Of course he would! Hell, he probably won’t even know half the people there anyway. His get-togethers are always a little wild,” Ruby told her with a chuckle, then added, “But don’t worry. They never get too outta hand. We’ve never had the cops called on us or anythin’ like that.”

“That’s very comforting. Who else will be there?” Clem asked, Louis flashing into her mind for a moment.

“Oh, probably everybody you met yesterday. Mitch was part of our little gang before he graduated last year. No worries if it sounds like too much. Just thought you’d like a chance to get to know us outside of school.”

“I’ll go,” Clementine blurted out. She didn’t know what possessed her to agree, but she knew she couldn’t back out now.

“Great! I promise it’ll be a lotta fun,” Ruby said, flashing her a grin.

Before she could respond, Mr. Simmons made his way to the front of the class, and their school day began. He went over the assignment he’d given and it turned out that she and Ruby had actually figured out all the answers. They both breathed a sigh of relief, though Clementine had a feeling this was just the beginning.

Throughout the rest of Clementine’s classes before lunch, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mitch’s party. Though she’d agreed to go, she didn’t actually know if Lee would approve. The only people she’d ever hung out with back home were Gabe, Duck, and Sarah. The four of them hardly ever went to parties, and they usually left early in favor of hanging out with one another. And Lee had known her friends as long as she had, so he trusted all of them as much as he trusted her.

On the other hand, he really wanted her to make friends in their new town, so he might be more inclined to let her go. And in spite of what Ruby said, Clem doubted the party would really be that wild. How much trouble could a bunch of high school students actually get into?

When the bell for lunch rang, Clementine made her way to the lunchroom quickly. She was determined to use these next few lunch periods as a way to get to know the group. So far the only one of them she actually had any classes with was Ruby. This would be the only time she could get a feel for them and be able to assure Lee honestly that she wouldn’t get into any trouble at the party on Friday night.

As she came around the corner, she saw Louis leaning up against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. He hadn’t seen her yet, instead staring off out the large windows that made up one of the walls of the cafeteria. Looking at him, she realized just how tall he was, at least a head taller than her. He was still wearing the same long, brown coat, which made her smile. It was warm in West Virginia this time of year. She was surprised he wasn’t sweating bullets.

Louis finally turned and looked in her direction. A grin bloomed on his face, and Clementine could almost swear that his eyes lit up when he saw her. He peeled himself away from the wall and got down onto one knee, bowing his head and holding out his hands.

“For you, my lady,” he said in the most atrocious English accent she’d ever heard.

She almost asked him what he was doing, until their conversation from the previous night finally came to her mind. In his hands was a bottle of green tea, just as she’d asked of him.

Clementine laughed, her cheeks pink as she took the bottle from him and said, “Thank you, kind sir.”

“Do I have the lady’s permission to rise?”

“Yes, you dork,” Clementine replied before she could stop herself. She reached out a hand and helped him to his feet. His palm was soft, and for a moment it lingered in hers.

“Hey guys!” Marlon called out to them, effectively ending the moment. Clementine quickly pulled her hand back and waved at him.

They all went through the line together and then made their way to the table. The others followed soon after, and once again the lunch table was crowded and lively. Louis chose to sit next to her again, and every so often their elbows brushed together.

“Fuck this place,” Violet grumbled as she dug into her food with a vengeance.

“Awww, it can’t be that bad, honeybear” Minnie said, throwing her arm around Violet. Clementine was starting to get the sense that there was something more between them than friendship.

Violet stabbed into one of her chicken nuggets and said, “I already have a fucking group project, and I hate group projects.”

“Why, Vi? People aren’t instantly charmed by your sweet personality?” Louis asked, laughing as he dodged a tater tot that Violet had used as a projectile.

“No,” Violet said through gritted teeth, “Because nobody ever wants to do any of the fucking work.”

“Don’t worry about it, Vi,” Brody said from beside Marlon, “I already talked to one of the girls in your group and she said she was more than happy to switch with me.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” Marlon said with a grin, which earned him a tater tot projectile as well.

“Probably because they know I’ll kick their asses if they don’t pull their own weight,” Violet replied with a smirk, “I’ll kick your ass, too, if you don’t stop making fun of me.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Marlon retorted, his smile widening, “We all know I’m stronger than you ever since I beat you in that arm-wrestling contest.”

“Yeah, but I’m quicker. And smarter.”

“At least I’m better looking.”

“With that haircut? I don’t think so.”

Clementine couldn’t tell if this was just friendly ribbing or if they were actually fighting. Her eyes were wide as she listened to them trade jabs, all the while wondering if an actual fight would break out. Ruby and Aasim seemed to be oblivious as they chatted back and forth with one another at the end of the table, and Omar seemed content to enjoy the lunch he’d packed. Minnie and Sophie appeared to be enjoying their back and forth, with Minnie giving Violet encouraging shakes every so often.

Suddenly from beside her, Louis leaned in and said quietly, “Sorry about these guys. They don’t know how to be anything other than uncivilized, even in polite company.”

Clementine had been so caught up in Marlon and Violet’s conversation that she almost jumped out of her skin. However, she quickly composed herself and turned to him, saying, “It’s fine. I just can’t tell if they’re serious or not.”

“Oh, these guys? They’re just full of hot air. Although, they really did have an arm-wrestling contest once. It was _a lot_ closer than Marlon’s letting on though. Just saying,” Louis said, his grin cheeky.

“Hey, whose side are you on?” Marlon asked him defensively.

“The winning side, obviously,” Minnie replied, holding out her hand to have Louis high-five her.

Louis shook his head and said, “Sorry, I still have to side with Marlon on this one. We’ve been best buds since grade school. It’s a ride or die kind of friendship.”

“Whatever,” Violet said with a roll of her eyes. Suddenly, her piercing gaze fixed on Clementine, a smirk on her face as she said, “I think the real question is, whose side are you on, new girl?”

“Her name is Clementine,” Louis retorted from beside her before she could answer, “And it’s not fair to put her on the spot like that.”

“Maybe you should let _Clementine_ speak for herself. Besides, I want an outsider’s perspective,” Violet said, turning back to Clem and asking, “So, who’ll it be? Me or Marlon?”

Clementine had a feeling that there wasn’t really a wrong answer to this question, but still thought she should tread carefully. So far, Marlon had Louis and Brody on his side, and Violet had Sophie and Minnie. She was the apparent tie-breaker, since everyone else seemed more than happy not to weigh in on the argument.

“I think I’d have to put my money on Violet,” Clementine eventually said, earning her cheers from the other side of the table.

“That’s right! Girls gotta stick together,” Minnie crowed, offering her a high-five, which Clem returned.

“Looks like the new girl knows what’s up after all,” Violet said, smirking triumphantly in Marlon’s direction, “So, that’s four to three in my favor. I win.”

Marlon chuckled and said, “Fine, but only if Clementine actually has a good reason for choosing you. And no, ‘because girls need to stick together’ doesn’t count.”

Clementine wasn’t sure how to answer that either. Fortunately for her, the bell rang before she had to say anything, signaling the end of lunch.

“Ha, saved by the bell,” Marlon scoffed, shaking his head, “Maybe next time.”

Everyone picked up their trays and their things and proceeded to their next classes. Clementine was halfway down the hall when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Louis who seemed slightly out of breath.

“You are _way_ too fast,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Oh yeah? Maybe you’re too slow,” Clementine retorted, adding, “What’s up? Is your class this way?”

“Uh, no,” Louis admitted, straightening up and scratching the back of his neck, “Actually, I wanted to tell you something at lunch, but I didn’t get the chance.”

“Yeah? What’d you want to tell me?”

“So, our old friend Mitch who graduated last year is having a party at his house on Friday night. I figured since you were new in town you might want to go. You know, meet people, rub elbows with some of Charles Town’s finest.”

“Oh, Ruby already mentioned it. It sounds like it’ll be fun,” Clementine said with a smile.

“Right. I guess she would have told you,” Louis said, his shoulders seeming to slump a little as his smile faded.

“Are you going to go?” Clem asked him before she could stop herself, her cheeks warming.

At that, Louis grinned and said, “Of course! I’m the life of the party. It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if I wasn’t there.”

She was about to reply, but before she could say anything, the bell rang, letting her know she had one minute to get to class before she’d be considered tardy.

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath, before waving at Louis and saying, “Gotta go! I’ll see you later!”

Clementine heard him yell goodbye in response, and wanted to turn back to acknowledge it, but knew she didn’t have time. Thankfully, she was as fast as Louis said, and made it to her seat just before the final bell rang.

* * *

Louis, on the other hand, was in no such hurry to get to math class, and wandered in a couple of minutes late to a scolding from his teacher.

After he sat at his desk next to Marlon, his best friend leaned over and whispered, “So? How’d it go?”

“She already knew about Mitch’s party. Ruby told her,” Louis whispered back as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“And? You still could have asked her to go with you.”

“How? She’s already going.”

“And if she goes with you, then that makes it a date, which was the whole point of asking her in the first place.”

“I can’t ask her on a date to an event she plans on being at anyway. That’s just weird.”

“Sounds to me like you chickened out,” Marlon said, leaning back into his chair as though no longer interested in the conversation.

“What? No I didn’t!” Louis hissed, scowling at him.

“Gentleman,” Ms. Taylor said from where she stood at the front of the room, “Is there something you’d like to share with the rest of the class?” After both of them said, ‘no ma’am,’ she nodded and said, “All right then. I’d appreciate your undivided attention for the rest of the lesson.”

Once class was over and they were out in the hall, Louis grabbed Marlon by the arm and said, “What the hell do you mean, I ‘chickened out?’”

“You still could have asked her, and you didn’t. You chickened out. It’s fine though. You’ll still get a chance to hang out with her at the party,” Marlon said, pulling his arm out of Louis’s grasp.

“Whatever,” Louis grumbled, even though he knew his friend was at least partially right.

“Look, I’m not judging you, dude. It’s tough to ask a chick out. If you need to take it slow, then take it slow,” Marlon said with a shrug, “But not too slow, if you don’t want her to get snatched up by someone else.”

Louis ran in in front of his friend and grabbed him by the shoulders, asking “Why? Do you think someone else likes her?”

“Dunno. She might be Mitch’s type,” Marlon replied, a smirk on his face.

“Yeah right. Mitch is in college now. He’s not going to waste his time with high school girls.”

“Clem doesn’t strike me as just a high school girl. But hey, if you want to take the risk, then that’s up to you. I gotta get to class, man. We can talk later,” Marlon said, waving as he headed down a different hallway.

Louis considered Marlon’s words. Would she actually be Mitch’s type? The last time he’d talked to Mitch, he’d been bragging about all the hot college chicks he went to school with. There were so many, Louis couldn’t even remember half of their names. It seemed like he was busier with women than he was with studying, not that anyone was surprised.

Then again, Mitch did have a reputation for screwing anything with a pulse. Even if she wasn’t his ‘type,’ Mitch would probably still try to to get into her pants.

Louis would make sure that didn’t happen, even if it killed him.

* * *

Later that week when Clementine, Lee, and AJ were eating dinner, Clem was trying to figure out how to broach the subject of the party. So far, she had nothing. Instead, she listened to AJ chatter excitedly about the new friends he’d made at school.

“And there’s a boy named Tennessee in my art class. He told me to call him Tenn. There’s something wrong with his face, but I don’t mind,” AJ said around a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

“Now, AJ, that’s not a very polite thing to say about someone,” Lee admonished as he cut into his steak.

“But it’s true! He’s got a big, ugly scar on the side of his face!” AJ argued, sending an indignant look his dad’s way.

“Yeah, but you can’t just say it like that, goofball. It’s not nice, and it might make Tennessee feel bad,” Clementine told him.

Lee nodded sagely and said, “Your sister’s right, AJ. It’s important to think about the way others feel. Even if he has a scar, you shouldn’t say it’s ‘wrong’ or ‘ugly.’ Those words are hurtful, and might make your new friend self-conscious or sad.”

“I didn’t say it to his face,” AJ muttered, stabbing into his own steak.

“We know that, kiddo,” Lee said, putting his hand on AJ’s shoulder, “And now you know that you shouldn’t ever say it.”

AJ just nodded and continued eating his dinner. They ate in silence for a few moments before Lee turned to Clementine and said, “So, sweet pea, how’s everything going for you at school? Have you made any new friends yet?”

This was it. It was now or never. “Actually, I did meet some people. This girl in my class named Ruby invited me to sit with her and her friends at lunch.”

“That’s great, Clementine,” Lee said, smiling warmly at her, “I knew you’d make new friends in no time.”

“Yeah, they actually invited me to hang out with them on Friday night,” Clementine began, trying to word things as carefully as possible, “They’re having a little get-together and they really want me to come.”

“A ‘little get-together,’ huh?” Lee asked, his brow arched, “Sounds like code for ‘party.’”

Clementine shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny and said, “I think Ruby might have called it a party, but she also told me that they’re usually pretty tame.”

Lee just cocked his head to the side and grinned at her knowingly, saying, “Right, I forgot, high school parties are basically just tea parties.”

Clementine felt her heart sink and figured she knew what was coming. She’d thought it would be a long shot, and her fears were confirmed: Lee was going to say no. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but she couldn’t think of any words in her defense.

After another moment, Lee sighed and said, “I can see from your face that you really want to go. And you _are_ almost eighteen. Can you promise me you’ll be careful?”

“Yes,” Clementine answered immediately.

“And if you need help, you’ll call me no matter what, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I’m fine with you going,” Lee said, smiling at her.

“Really?” Clementine asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

He chuckled and said, “Not totally, but like I said, you’re getting older. Eventually you’re going to go off to college and then who knows what trouble you’ll get into? At least this way you can start to learn a little bit about responsibility while I’m still here to watch over you.”

Clementine reached across the table and grabbed Lee’s hand, saying, “Thank you. I promise, I won’t let you down.”

“I know. All I ask is that you be home by midnight, okay sweet pea?”

“Can do, Lee!”

Clementine couldn’t believe her luck. Lee had actually agreed to let her go. All she had to do was be home by midnight, which wouldn’t be hard. She could hardly wait for Friday to roll around, and all the possibilities the evening could bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Louis! Ruby beat him to the punch.
> 
> At least Lee is trying his best to let his sweet pea spread her wings.
> 
> The real question is, how will things at the party go? Will they get out of hand? Or will Louis get a chance to make his move?
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who's given my story a shot! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Friday couldn’t come soon enough. Even though it wasn’t a date as Louis had hoped it would be, it would still be a chance to hang out with Clementine outside of school. After he’d found out she was going to the party, the week seemed to slow to a crawl. His classes felt like they lasted for hours, and his nights at home with his dad were even more unbearable. Half the time he would go over to Marlon’s house instead, just to have something to distract him.

But hanging out with Marlon didn’t really prove to be as much of a distraction as Louis wanted. His friend seemed to only want to talk about Clementine. What did Louis plan on doing about his crush? Was he going to drive Clem to the party? Was he going to take her home afterwards? When was he going to make his move on her?

Louis didn’t have answers to any of those questions, and after a while he had to tell Marlon to lay off. He almost wished he hadn’t told him now, but when he’d first seen Clem, he hadn’t expected to ever meet her again. Of course, Louis knew that Marlon was just trying to be a good wing man, but the more questions he asked, the more anxious Louis got. For all he knew, Clementine barely knew he existed except at lunch time. She probably never even thought about him, let alone wanted to spend time with him.

Once Friday rolled around, he had an answer to at least one of the questions Marlon had drilled him with: Clementine was going to get a ride with the girls, who were all going to squeeze into Brody’s mom’s minivan. Even though he was disappointed at not being able to take her himself, he was still happy that she’d get to spend time with everyone else. Louis really wanted her to get to know all of his friends, so they could see how awesome she was and vice versa. Plus, he could tell she was a little lonely, and having some girl friends would probably help with that.

He and Marlon arrived at Mitch’s house early so they could help him set everything up. Not that there was much to do, of course. Mostly Louis just wanted to pick some good music to help set the mood, and Marlon insisted he needed to make sure there were enough beers to go around. Mitch was in the kitchen, busy mixing several different liquors into a couple of different drink dispensers.

“Where in the hell did you get all this alcohol?” Louis asked as he surveyed the array of options at hand.

“Made the right friends at school. I guess my mom was right. Community college was good for something after all,” Mitch said with a smirk as he started to dump soda in next.

“And I’m assuming those same friends are going to be here tonight?” Louis asked as he scrolled through his phone and added tracks to the night’s Spotify playlist.

“Duh. I couldn’t ask them to buy me all this shit and just not invite them to the party,” Mitch said, adding, “Plus, they’re fucking dope, dude.”

“Right,” Louis said, shooting a nervous glance at Mitch, “So this is going to be a real rager I take it.”

Mitch rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t worry, dude. Your new girlfriend will be just fine.”

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Louis exclaimed, rounding on Marlon and asking, “You told him?”

“Figured you could use all the help you can get. Besides, this is the first time you’ve ever even noticed a girl. Of course I had to tell him,” Marlon answered with shrug.

“Yeah, man. We thought you were, like, an alien or something. Not gonna lie, I was a little relieved when I heard you were actually normal,” Mitch said with a grin.

“Besides, if I didn’t tell him, he would have been all over Clem. Is that what you wanted?”

“No!” Louis yelled, seeing the two of them together in his mind’s eye. It was not a pleasant mental image.

“Well, there you go. You can’t be mad at me, then,” Marlon said, cracking open a beer, taking a swig and adding, “It’s not like you told me to keep it a secret.”

“That’s, like, the first rule of bro code, dude!” Louis said as he shook his head.

“Whatever, man,” Marlon replied, rolling his eyes, “At least you got another wing man.”

“Look, just promise me you won’t tell anyone else, okay? The last thing I need is Clementine finding out and rejecting me before I even have a chance to win her over myself,” Louis said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Fine, I promise I’ll keep your little crush a secret.”

“You, too, Mitch.”

“You think I’m gonna tell anyone? I’m a college man now. I don’t have time for high school gossip,” Mitch said as he puffed out his chest and gave them a cocky smile.

Marlon and Louis both shared a look with each other, then rolled their eyes and went back to what they were doing. As Louis continued to organize the playlist for the night, he had a hard time focusing. The more people that learned about his crush, the more likely it was that Clementine would find out. He was still a little annoyed at Marlon for spilling the beans to Mitch, and didn’t know if he could trust the two of them to keep their mouths shut once the liquor started flowing. His best bet would be to keep Clementine far away from them for the entirety of the party.

Eventually people started filtering in, some from their school and some of whom Louis didn’t recognize. Mitch introduced them, but Louis was only half paying attention, instead looking out for Clementine and the rest of the girls. When he finally saw Brody’s van pull up, he situated himself close enough to the door that he’d be the first person they saw, but far enough away that it didn’t look like he’d been waiting for them.

Violet and Minnie walked in first, their fingers intertwined as they waved to him before Minnie dragged Violet off to say hi to some people she knew. Next came Sophie and Brody, the latter of whom was intercepted by Marlon almost immediately. His arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her in for a kiss, which she returned with gusto. Finally, Clementine and Ruby came entered the house, and the sight of her made his breath catch in his throat.

Instead of a t-shirt and jeans like she usually wore, Clem wore a pair of shorts with fishnet tights underneath, her feet tucked into her usual combat boots. She had on a black tank top with a logo for a band he didn’t think she’d be into, and a flannel shirt tied around her waist. The only thing that seemed slightly out of place was the trucker hat she wore, which was emblazoned with the letter ‘D.’ Her face looked a little different, too, though he couldn’t put his finger on why exactly that was.

“Hey Clem!” Louis called, waving her over. Once she reached him, he said, “Nice outfit. Trying out a new look tonight?”

“Thanks,” Clementine muttered, her cheeks pink and her eyes downcast as she added, “The make-over was Minnie and Sophie’s idea.”

Ah. So the twins were behind it all. That made a lot of sense. Once the two of them got it into their head to give someone a new look, it was hard to say no to them.

“I told them she didn’t need all that paint on her face,” Ruby said, crossing her arms over her chest, “We coulda been here twenty minutes earlier if they hadn’t insisted on makin’ Clem wear makeup.”

“Yeah, but the mascara makes her eyes pop, don’t you think, Louis?” Sophie said, coming up from behind Clem and throwing an arm around her shoulder.

He watched as Clementine’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, and felt a moment of sympathy for her. “I think her eyes pop on their own, with or without mascara,” Louis said, trying his best to be smooth.

Sophie pouted and complained, “Boys never appreciate my hard work. Clementine looks so nice and you don’t even care.”

“Quit yer whinin’ Soph,” Ruby said as she rolled her eyes, “Now come with me to the kitchen. I’m thirsty and I have a feelin’ if you get a drink in yer hand you’ll forget all about how ‘mean’ Louis was.”

Ruby quickly hauled Sophie in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Clementine and Louis alone. He did his best not to stare, but it was hard, since she did look as good as Sophie claimed. Silence stretched between them, and he wracked his brain for anything smart to say, but her looks had him struck dumb.

Eventually they tried to speak at the same time, which caused both of them to laugh, and eased some of the tension between them. He indicated for Clementine to go first, since he’d so rudely interrupted her.

* * *

Clementine’s head was still reeling from the whirlwind this evening had already become. The girls had invited her to Sophie and Minnie’s house to hang out before the party, which she’d agreed to enthusiastically. Lee had dropped her off, reminding her of the rules: Be responsible, call him if she needed help, and be home by midnight. She’d agreed and then bounded off up the steps, both eager and nervous for what lied ahead.

She already knew Ruby fairly well from sharing a class with her, but the other girls were largely a mystery. From what she could gather, Violet and Minnie were a couple, as were Brody and Marlon. Sophie was Minnie’s twin, and it seemed like the two girls were as close as you would expect identical twins to be. Even with all of their differences, it seemed like the whole group of girls were as thick as thieves. That gave Clementine hope that she’d be able to fit in, even though she was new.

As soon as she’d walked in, Minnie and Sophie had descended on her, insisting that she needed to dress up for the party they were going to. She’d chosen to wear what she’d worn to school, and apparently that was unacceptable. The two of them had raided their closet, throwing a multitude of clothes Clementine’s way. The majority of them were miniskirts and crop tops, all of which she’d vetoed.

Once they’d settled on an outfit—which was still far too revealing for Clem’s taste—the twins had sat her down at their vanity and set to work putting makeup on her face. At first they insisted on doing a full face, but between Ruby’s complaints that they were going to be late, and Clementine’s hesitation, they settled on something light. First they’d started with mascara, then some highlighter, and finally some lip gloss. It wasn’t much, but it was just enough to make Clementine not quite recognize herself.

And then they were off, cruising down streets Clementine had never been on, headed towards Mitch’s party. Brody mentioned that all the guys were already there, and that Marlon was impatient for them to show up. Her mind jumped to Louis, and she wondered if he’d be there wearing his signature coat. Butterflies filled her stomach then, though she couldn’t say exactly why. She guessed it was probably just nerves from going to her first party in her new town.

Once they arrived at Mitch’s house, Violet and Minnie were the first two to hop out of the van. They made their way up the walk eagerly, followed by everyone else. Ruby chose to walk with her, which helped ease Clem’s nerves some.

“Sorry about Minnie and Sophie. When they see a project, they pounce like a lion on an antelope,” Ruby said quietly, adding, “For what it’s worth, ya do look nice.”

“Thanks,” Clementine replied, rubbing her arms as the chill of the night air nipped at her skin.

“You nervous at all? You weren’t sayin’ much in the car,” Ruby observed, giving Clementine a sympathetic look.

“A little. I didn’t really do parties back in Athens,” Clem explained as she stared up at the house, where she could already hear music thumping loudly, “Especially not parties like these.”

“Well, don’t worry about a thing. You wanna leave, just say the word and I’ll figure somethin’ out. Brody’ll let me borrow the van, probably,” Ruby told her, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll be all right,” Clementine said, flashing her a smile, “Once I’m inside I’m sure I’ll start having fun.”

At that, they finally made it through the front door. Clementine’s eyes darted around the room, until she heard a familiar voice call her name. Her eyes finally focused on Louis, who was leaning up against one of the sofas in the room. He had chosen not to wear his coat this evening, instead wearing a green Henley t-shirt and a pair of nice-fitting jeans, cuffed over boots. His arms were crossed over his chest, showing off the lean muscles she’d only imagined existed up until now. He had a smile on his face as he waved Ruby and her over. For some reason, Clem’s heart started to race.

“Hey Clem! Nice outfit. Trying out a new look tonight?” he asked her, still smiling.

Clementine felt her cheeks heat up and for some reason she couldn’t meet his eyes as she replied, “Thanks. The make-over was Minnie and Sophie’s idea.”

Ruby seemed to sense her discomfort and piped up from beside her, saying, “I told them she didn’t need all that paint on her face. We coulda been here twenty minutes earlier if they hadn’t insisted on makin’ Clem wear makeup.”

Suddenly an arm snaked it’s way around Clementine’s shoulder, and Sophie appeared beside her, saying, “Yeah, but the mascara makes her eyes pop, don’t you think, Louis?”

Clementine watched Louis’s face carefully, feeling guilty that he was being put on the spot like that. She couldn’t help the blush on her face that deepened as she waited for him to say something. The butterfly feeling in her stomach returned, which she did her best to ignore.

“I think her eyes pop on their own, with or without mascara,” he finally answered, which apparently wasn’t what Sophie wanted to hear.

However, Clementine didn’t hear anything that either Ruby or Sophie said after that, because Louis’s words still rang loudly in her ears. She tried to remember the last time a boy had paid her a compliment, but she drew a blank. The only person who she could remember saying anything nice about her looks was Lee, but he didn’t count since he was her dad and he had to say things like that.

Suddenly, Ruby was dragging Sophie off to the kitchen and leaving Louis and Clementine alone. She tried to think of something interesting or clever to say, but she was still reeling from all the embarrassment. Eventually when she tried to speak, she ended up talking at the same time as Louis, which made the two of them laugh.

“Sorry, what were you going to say?” Clementine asked, still smiling.

“No, you go. I was the one who interrupted you,” Louis replied, grinning back.

“I was just going to say that whoever picked the music has pretty good taste.” She wasn’t sure who a lot of the bands were, but there was a good mixture of upbeat and chill jams that set just the right mood for the party.

“Why thank you! That would be yours truly,” Louis said, pride radiating from his eyes.

“Really? Are you DJ-ing?”

“Nah, I just put together a playlist before everyone got here. One of the perks of knowing the host.”

“Oh yeah? Are there any other perks I should be aware of?”

Louis thought about it for a moment, then answered, “Well, I also get my choice of beverages. And I’d be more than happy to share. Do you want something to drink?”

At the few parties Clementine had been to, she’d only ever drank wine coolers, and even then it was usually just half a bottle at most. However, she decided one drink wouldn’t hurt, and answered, “Sure. Show me what you’ve got.”

“Right this way, my lady,” Louis said, once again trying and failing to do an English accent.

He led her to the kitchen, and for a moment she could have sworn she felt his hand on the small of her back. But when she glanced his direction, he had both of his hands at his sides, so she decided she must have imagined it.

The kitchen was lively as they entered, with people sitting on the counters and milling about the table in the room. Almost everyone had a drink in their hand, with an even mix between bottles, cans, and red, plastic cups. Sophie and Ruby both had red cups in their hands, and she wondered what they were drinking. Whatever it was had likely come out of two very large drink dispensers that were sitting on the counter, one of which was filled with bright blue liquid, the other with something that looked like orange juice.

Instead of going for those, Louis opened the fridge and gestured to the many cans and bottles inside, saying, “So, what’ll it be?”

Clementine hesitated. There were a lot of choices, almost all of which she didn’t recognize except for the big name brands. She didn’t want to pick something that didn’t taste good, but she also didn’t want Louis to think she was a total dork for not knowing anything about beer. Then again, why did she care what he thought? She barely knew him, and for all she knew, he was just trying to be polite and didn’t really care what she picked.

It seemed as though Louis sensed her discomfort, because a moment later he said, “Hey, you don’t have to drink if you don’t want to. You know that, right?”

“I know,” Clem said quickly, her cheeks reddening once more, “There are just a lot options.”

“Yeah, Mitch really went all out. Or I guess, Mitch’s super cool college friends did,” Louis said with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

Clementine finally realized an out and asked, “Well, what do you recommend?” There. Now she wouldn’t show how sheltered she’d been back home, and she’d have to finish her drink because it would be rude to Louis if she didn’t.

“Well, _I_ wouldn’t recommend any of this, because it’s disgusting,” he replied, shutting the door to the fridge and moving over to the drink dispensers, “I _would_ , however, recommend one of these, which is what I’ll probably be drinking. Unless of course you don’t want to drink, which, like I said, is totally cool.”

“Give me some of that blue stuff,” Clementine finally said, wondering what it would taste like.

“As the lady commands,” Louis joked, grabbing a red cup and filling it three quarters of the way. He handed it to her and then filled up his own cup. He held it out and said, “To your first party in Charles Town.”

Clementine smiled and tapped her cup against his before she took a swig of its contents. The moment the liquid hit her tongue, she fought the urge to gag. Whatever it was made of tasted sharp, unlike any other flavor she’d had before. Her nose wrinkled as she swallowed it down and peeked at Louis to see his reaction.

To her relief, he seemed to feel the same about the drink, because a second later he said, “Goddamn! This shit tastes like paint thinner! Mitch really needs to learn his ratios. Here, let me see that.” Louis reached for her glass and moved to the sink, pushing past a couple people to get to it. Clementine watched as he dumped out a bit of each of their drinks, and then proceeded to fill them up with more soda.

When he handed the cup back to her, he said, “Hope you don’t mind. It just seemed a little strong.”

“Yeah, it was,” Clementine replied, taking her drink and giving it a test sip, “Much better. Thank you for doing that.”

“No problem-o! Can’t say I’m surprised Mitch mixed them so strong, but I was hoping maybe he’d learned something at college.”

“Shouldn’t he be learning something from his classes, not how to mix drinks?”

“Eh, honestly, he’ll probably drop out before the end of the year. He really only went because his parents pressured him to. His mom is a waitress and his dad is a mechanic and they both really want him to, you know, ‘make something of himself’ or whatever,” Louis explained as he leaned up against the counter.

“Then maybe he should try a little before he just writes it off. Doesn’t he want to make them happy?” Clementine asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Well, yeah, but what about his happiness?” Louis volleyed back, “Shouldn’t what he wants matter to them?”

“Does he know what he wants?” Clementine replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Probably not,” Louis chuckled and shrugged, “But I don’t think going to college in the meantime is going to help him figure it out.”

“So you don’t think school is important?”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong. I understand the importance of a good education. I just don’t think college is for everyone,” Louis said, raising his hands defensively.

“What about you? Are you going to go to college?” Clementine said in an effort to change the subject a little.

Louis laughed loudly, which drew the attention of a couple people nearby. As he wiped his eye, he said, “Me? Fuck no. Not if I can help it anyway.”

Clementine couldn’t help her brow as it cocked up and she said, “Oh yeah? What are you going to do instead?”

“You’ll think it’s stupid,” he answered, his confidence seeming to fade.

“Try me,” Clem challenged as she took a sip of her drink.

Louis scratched the back of his neck and couldn’t quite meet her eye as he said, “Well…I really want to open my own piano bar. I’d play for people while they bought drinks and hung out. And we could have a karaoke night, ladies night, the whole shebang! It would be fucking rad!”

“Seriously?” Clementine asked, wondering how successful such a business would be.

Louis deflated as he finally looked at her again and said, “I knew you’d think it was dumb.”

“No, I just didn’t know you played,” Clementine told him, not wanting to hurt his feelings, “You don’t really strike me as the musical type.”

“Is that so? Well, you’re lucky I don’t have a piano here, because you’d look pretty foolish when I—wait,” Louis’s eyes lit up and stood quickly from the counter, walking past her and saying, “Follow me, I have an idea.” He reached out his hand to her, and she hesitated for only a moment before she took it and let him lead her through the crowded house. His palm was warm, and she was distracted by that until it occurred to her that she wasn’t sure exactly what he was planning.

Their path took them back through the living room, then up the stairs and down the hall to what looked to be someone’s bedroom. When he put his hand on the knob, she finally realized that she had no idea what he was planning, and wondered what exactly she was getting herself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What could Louis possibly have up his sleeve??
> 
> I guess we'll find out next time...:)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's been reading thus far! I appreciate the kind words and the kudos! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Louis entered the room first, his focus no longer on her. He set his cup down on the dresser and made his way around the bed to the closet. Clementine hesitated in the doorway, choosing instead to take another drink from her cup as he disappeared. There were a number of ways this scenario could play out, and she decided she’d make a run for it if she had to. However, a small voice inside her said he wasn’t the type of guy to take advantage of people, especially girls.

When he reappeared a moment later he had an electric keyboard in his arms. “Ha! I knew I left this here!”

“Seems like a weird thing to just leave at your friend’s house,” Clementine remarked, watching as he set it on the bed and tried to find an outlet to plug it in.

“You got me there,” Louis said with a grin as he switched the keyboard on, “But in my defense, it was Mitch’s idea to start the band and have all the practices at his house.”

“You guys are in a band together?”

“Not anymore. That lasted all of five minutes, since we couldn’t agree on a band name.” Louis started testing the keys then, satisfied that his keyboard was still in working order. He looked at her, his eyes sparkling as he asked with a smile, “So, what do you want to hear?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re the one who said I wasn’t musical. I can’t just let an insult like that stand. I need to defend my honor, so I’m going to play for you. If you ever actually come into the room, that is,” he said, raising a brow at her.

Clementine finally decided that he wasn’t planning anything weird and allowed herself to enter the room a little. The door swung shut behind her, causing her to jump.

“Sorry about that. Mitch’s house is old,” Louis said with a shrug, “Anyway, if you don’t suggest a song, I’ll be forced to play one of my choosing.”

“Go for it,”Clementine said, as she sat on the edge of the bed, adding, “I got nothing.”

Louis’s hand went to his chin as he pondered what it was he would play. Suddenly, a grin spread over his face, and he said, “I have an idea, but I’m afraid to play it. You’re armed, after all.”

“Armed? With what?”

“That drink in your hand. I don’t want to take a bath if you don’t like what I picked,” he replied with a laugh.

“I promise, I won’t throw my drink on you. Just play it already!” Clem insisted, becoming slightly impatient. She couldn’t imagine what song she’d find so offensive that she’d consider tossing her drink on him.

Clementine didn’t have long to wonder why, as he started to play and belt out simultaneously, “Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine! You are lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry, Clementine. Light she was and like a fairy, and her shoes were number nine. Herring boxes without topses, sandals were for Clementine—”

“Okay, I get it! You’re musical!” Clementine interrupted as she couldn’t contain her giggles.

“And yet you’re laughing at me. Doesn’t really make a man feel confident,” Louis said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I wasn’t laughing at you!” Clem said, still smiling, “Just the fact that you picked the cheesiest possible song to prove your point.”

“Hey, that song is a classic, thank you very much,” Louis replied, trying to act offended, though a smile played at his lips.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll go over real well at the piano bar,” Clementine teased with a smirk as she sipped at her drink. Even though Louis had cut the alcohol content down, she could still feel it going to her head a little. She felt light and giggly, her cheeks warm as she focused on Louis’s face. She never noticed just how many freckles he had, and felt compelled to memorize each one and its position on his cheeks and nose.

“I can play other songs, too!” Louis exclaimed defensively.

Clementine downed the rest of her drink and set the cup on the floor, before leaning over, her face close to his as she said, “Oh yeah? Prove it.” Louis’s eyes were even prettier up close, their dark color dotted with flecks of green, making them look almost hazel in this light. Her gaze trailed down to his mouth, which had popped open in surprise.

Before she could ask him what was wrong, the door flew open, and they sprang apart instantly.

* * *

“So this is where you’ve been hiding all night! Didn’t really peg you for the type, Clementine,” Violet said as she and the rest of his friends crowded into Mitch’s room.

“Are they fucking on my bed? Please tell me they aren’t fucking on my bed!” Mitch yelled, pushing past everyone so he could see.

“We are not fucking!” Louis yelled loudly, his cheeks on fire.

“Then what were you doing?” Minnie asked, grinning cheekily at him.

“I was showing her my piano skills!” Louis said, gesturing at the keyboard on the bed.

“Now that’s a euphemism I ain’t ever heard before!” Ruby giggled as she peeked around the group, her cheeks just as red as her hair. She’d clearly had a few with the way she laughed at her own joke.

“Oh my god. I never pictured it ending this way. I am going to die right now, in Mitch’s bedroom. I can’t believe this is happening,” Louis said, shaking his head and running his hand down his face.

“Louis, you have to stop being so dramatic,” Marlon said, rolling his eyes, “We’re just giving you shit.”

“Yeah, I could hear you playing when I went to the bathroom and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get you back for not complimenting Clem’s makeover,” Sophie said, as her eyes went back and forth between him and Clementine.

“Fantastic! Well, you got me!” Louis said, glaring at his friends. He knew they were just trying to be funny, but he couldn’t help but be pissed. After all, this would probably be his only chance to get to know Clementine one-on-one and they’d pretty much ruined it.

Then again, it might have been good that they’d interrupted. He could still picture her amber eyes glittering just inches away from his own. Her lips were glossy from whatever Sophie and Minnie had put on them, and they’d been curved up in a smile. Louis’s heart was racing from the way she’d been looking at him, or more specifically, the way her gaze had drifted down to his mouth. Though he doubted it, he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been thinking of kissing him. As much as he imagined he’d enjoy kissing her, he didn’t want it to happen like this. It was probably for the best that everyone had burst in when they did.

“And now that we’re all here, we can play truth or dare!” Sophie said, looking at Louis, “You have your cards, right?”

“What do cards have to do with truth or dare?” Clementine asked, finally rejoining the conversation. He looked her way and saw that she was blushing, and hoped that she wasn’t so embarrassed she’d never speak to him again. Truth be told, he hadn’t even considered what it would look like for the two of them to disappear upstairs into a bedroom. He’d just been so excited to show her his piano skills that he’d totally blanked out anything else.

“You gonna explain it, Lou? Or do I have to do all the talking?” Marlon asked as everyone found a place to sit in Mitch’s room.

“Right,” Louis said, fishing his deck of cards out of his back pocket, “It’s pretty simple actually. Highest card gets to ask the person with the lowest card to tell a truth or do a dare, depending on what the person picks.”

“So how does that change things exactly?” Clem questioned as she moved so that more people could sit on the bed, which—hopefully by coincidence—put her further away from him.

“Well, we used to spin a bottle around, but that got out of hand pretty quickly. This makes things more organized. Can’t argue with who has the highest and lowest card,” Louis said with a shrug as he placed the deck of cards on the center of the bed.

“Right. Before we start, I just want everyone to know right now that I refuse to break into someone’s house,” Clementine said, then added, “And I need another drink.”

“Way ahead of you,” Violet said, producing several bottles of beer, “Figured you’d be thirsty after, well, you know.”

“Oh. My. God. We were not fucking,” Louis hissed, scowling at Violet as he retrieved his drink from the dresser and downed it.

“Lighten up, dude,” Mitch said with a shake of his head, “And hurry up. We want to play truth or dare!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Louis grumbled as he joined them on the bed.

They each took their turns drawing their cards and flipped them all at the same time. The first winner was Violet, and naturally the first loser was Clem. Violet looked at her and asked, “Truth or dare?”

* * *

The beer that Violet had given her tasted terrible, and Clem did her best to finish it quickly so they didn’t think less of her for not drinking it. That is, if they didn’t think less of her already. In truth, it had never once entered her mind that other people would think anything of her disappearing up the stairs with Louis. The only thing she’d considered was that he might try something, although that notion had quickly went away.

She’d been so struck by embarrassment that she hadn’t known what to say when they’d all barged in. Louis, however, had dismissed their accusations immediately, something for which she was grateful. A part of her wondered how he felt about what they said. He made it perfectly clear to them that nothing was happening, but did that mean he didn’t want anything to ever happen? Something about the idea of that stung, but her thoughts were a little muddled, and she decided to push them aside instead of thinking too much more about them.

Instead, Clementine did her best to focus on the game of truth or dare that was about to unfold. She could tell that she was still blushing and willed herself to get over it quickly so no one would ask her about it.

Everyone drew a card, with Violet being the first winner, and Clementine being the first loser. Her green eyes were fixed on Clem as she said, “Truth or dare?”

Clementine took a deep breath and said, “Truth.” Maybe once she was a little more clear-headed she would ask for a dare.

Violet seemed disappointed and took a second to think of a question. “Who out of all of us is your favorite so far?” she eventually asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Her stomach sank as she absently thought that she should have picked a dare instead.

“Umm…” Clementine stuttered as she looked around at everyone.

“It’s obviously me!” Ruby said, then hiccuped, “We’re calculus buddies!”

“Sure, let’s go with that,” Clementine said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Violet rolled her eyes but accepted her answer and they moved on to the next round. This time Marlon won, and Louis had the lowest card.

“Truth,” Louis responded, which surprised Clementine who thought he was more of a dare type.

"Do you have a crush on anyone?” Marlon asked, his face split in two by his grin.

“Dude!” Louis yelled, staring at his friend in disbelief.

“Answer the question,” Sophie chimed in, adding, “You picked truth. Those are the rules.”

Clementine watched him carefully as he sighed and said, “Fine. Yes, I do.”

“On who?” Minnie said, her eyes wide.

“Nope. I answered my question. I won’t be answering another, thank you very much. Next round, please,” Louis said, reaching for a new card.

As she reached for her own, she wondered who it was that he had feelings for. Minnie and Violet were obviously out since they were dating each other. Brody was out, too, because she was Marlon’s girlfriend, and it felt pretty unlikely that Louis would ever catch feelings for his best friend’s girl. That left Ruby and Sophie, both of whom seemed like decent possibilities. However, Sophie was the more likely choice, since Ruby took her studies way more seriously than Louis did, if his earlier comments were any indication.

When everyone presented their cards, it turned out that Clementine had the highest card, and Ruby had the lowest. She picked truth, and Clem asked her what the worst grade she’d ever gotten was. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes, except Ruby who was glaring at Clem. She reluctantly admitted that she’d once gotten a B on an essay in English class, but swore up and down that her teacher graded it lower because he didn’t like the topic she’d picked.

They passed through several rounds, most of which involved people picking truths instead of dares. Mitch was the only one brave enough to pick dare, and Marlon had dared him to pee off the roof. To Clementine’s surprise, he climbed out his bedroom window onto the roof and did just that. Somehow, it struck her more as funny than anything else, and she couldn’t help it as she laughed along with everyone else.

Eventually Clementine found herself in the hot seat once more, with Louis having the high card instead of Violet. She decided to go for truth again, unsure if she’d want to do whatever weird dare Louis would come up with.

“Okay, let me think…” Louis said, tapping his chin, “I know! Did you leave anyone behind in Georgia? You know, like a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?”

Clementine immediately thought of Gabe—and how quickly he’d moved on to someone else—and she couldn’t help the frown that graced her lips.

“My god. You’re just as bad as Marlon,” Violet groaned as she rolled her eyes, not seeming to notice Clementine’s discomfort.

“What? I don’t want to be the only one getting questioned about their love life!”

“There wasn’t anyone,” Clementine finally answered, interrupting their back and forth, “Not really, anyway.”

“Not really? What does that mean?” Mitch asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“If Louis didn’t have to answer a follow-up question, I don’t either,” Clementine insisted. It was decided that was a fair stipulation, and they moved on.

In the next round, the winner was Mitch and Louis was the loser. This time, Louis picked dare, probably because he knew that if he picked truth the question would be about who his crush was. Instead, Mitch figured out a creative way to torture him, and said, “I dare you to text your crush right now.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me! Pick something else!”

“Sorry dude, you know the rules,” Mitch said with a smirk as he took another drink of his beer, “Do the dare or pay the price.”

The atmosphere in the room was tense as everyone stared at Louis waiting to see what he would do. He scowled at Mitch for a moment before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. His fingers flew across the keys for only a couple seconds and then he set it down. From across the room, Mitch’s phone chimed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, reading aloud, “Fuck you, sincerely, Louis.”

“And I meant every word,” Louis said with a wink.

“Yeah, but you know what that means!” Minnie said, clamoring to her feet, “It’s slurpee time! That’s two in a row, Louis!”

“Au contraire!” Louis exclaimed, “If you’ll recall, the last time I paid the price, I didn’t actually have to. I’d say you guys should all buy me a slurpee to make up for it.”

“Or we could just call it even,” Violet suggested, adding, “We probably shouldn’t be wandering around town drunk in the middle of the night.”

“Who’s drunk? I’m not!” Sophie said, shaking her mostly full cup.

“Well I am!” Ruby said, her southern twang that much deeper in her inebriated state.

“Same,” Mitch and Marlon said simultaneously causing everyone to laugh.

“I’m sober, if y’all want me to drive,” Brody suggested from where she was curled up next to Marlon, “Although it’d be a tight squeeze in the van. Someone would have to sit on someone else’s lap.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Minnie grinned as she slung her arm around Violet and kissed her cheek.

“Don’t you think it’s rude to leave your own house party?” Clementine chimed in, standing when everyone else did.

“Eh, no one will even notice I’m gone,” Mitch said with a shrug as they all piled into the hallway and down the stairs. Strangely, the crowd seemed to have thinned out anyway, and she figured if the party was dying down then Mitch was free to do what he wanted.

Violet and Minnie were the first ones in the van, opting to sit in the back seat, with Minnie on Violet’s lap. Louis followed them, after which Violet called out for Clementine to join them. She hesitated, not sure if she’d be comfortable squeezed in between all of them. But then she thought she’d look weird if she said no, so she climbed in the back and sat in the middle seat. Her right leg brushed against Louis’s, while her left leg was pressed against both Minnie and Violet’s legs. No matter how hard she tried to compress herself, she’d have to touch one or the other of them. Eventually she settled on letting her leg stay pressed against Louis’s because it involved touching less people.

By the time they reached the 7-11 Clem could feel the liquor wearing off and a headache taking its place. The bright lights of the convenience store didn’t help, and she wished she could just stay in the van. But being in the middle of three people meant she had to get out. She just hoped the fresh air would help clear her head a bit.

As the group made their way inside, Clementine elected to wait outside the doors, hoping no one would notice. However, luck wasn’t on her side, and before he entered the store, Louis hesitated, asking, “What’s up, Clem?”

“I’m just going to wait out here. I’m not feeling the greatest all of a sudden,” she admitted, wondering what had gotten into her. She wasn’t really the type to show weakness in front of others.

“You want anything? I could grab you some aspirin or something,” he asked, stepping back outside and letting the door swing shut.

“I’ll be all right, thanks,” Clementine replied, rubbing her temples.

“No problem, Bob-lem,” Louis said, adding, “Just come inside if you see any weirdos!”

Clementine agreed as he disappeared into the convenience store, though she doubted she’d encounter anyone. It was quiet along the street, and she hadn’t seen anyone besides them and the store clerk since they’d arrived. Even though it was Friday night, the town seemed dead, which was just as well. She wasn’t feeling up to dealing with any ‘weirdos’ as Louis had called them, preferring to lean up against the wall and will her head to stop pounding.

Not long after he’d entered the store, Louis reappeared outside holding two bottles of water, one in each hand. When she locked eyes with him, he tossed her one of the bottles. She caught it easily, and he grinned, though she couldn’t say why.

“What’s this?” Clementine asked, staring at the bottle.

“Well, you see, sometimes people want to drink water, but they’re not at home. So places like this sell it in bottles so we still have access to hydration even when we’re out and about,” Louis explained as he leaned up against the wall next to her.

“Ha. Ha. I mean why are you giving this to me?” Clementine said, raising a brow at him.

Louis shrugged and took a drink from his own water before he said, “Figured you could use it since you were turning a little green around the gills there. It’ll help with the hangover anyway. This your first time drinking?”

“No,” Clementine said, then sighed and amended “Not exactly. I’ve never had hard liquor before.”

Louis nodded sagely and said, “Yeah, the first time’s a little rough for everyone. At least you didn’t throw up.”

“Not yet anyway,” Clementine said, uncapping the water and taking a drink. It was cool and refreshing, but did little to ease her headache.

“Like I said, the water should help,” Louis said with a reassuring smile.

“You sound like a real pro at dealing with hangovers. I take it this isn’t your first time drinking, hard liquor or otherwise.”

“Eh, let’s just say I didn’t understand my limits the first couple times around which led to some wicked hangovers. It wasn’t pretty, but I did compose some sweet tunes in my inebriated state. Before I threw up all over my piano anyway.”

Clementine nearly spat out her water as she started to laugh. “Wow. That’s pretty bad,” she said when her giggles subsided, “How’d you get the piano clean after that?”

“We tried our best, but we never really did. I even took the keys off to clean between them, but the smell lingered for weeks. My dad had it burned after a while.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Louis said, his voice taking on a bitter tone.

“That sucks,” Clementine said, giving him a sympathetic look.

Louis just shook his head and said, “It’s fine. Lesson learned.”

Silence stretched between them, and Clementine wondered if his relationship with his father was a sore subject and possibly one best avoided. He had a far off look in his eyes as he stared into the distance, and she tried to guess at what he was thinking about. Maybe it was better that she didn’t know.

Suddenly a breeze swept across the empty parking lot and she couldn’t help but shiver. Even though it was still supposed to be temperate this time of year, this particular evening was unseasonably chilly. Her outfit did little to help keep her warm, and Clem wished she’d insisted on wearing her regular clothes.

Her thoughts were interrupted Louis tapped her on the shoulder. His hand was extended, his coat hanging from his fingers. She tried to remember when he’d put it on, and figured he’d grabbed it on their way out the door.

“Won’t you be cold?” Clementine asked, not taking the jacket.

“Nah, my blood runs hot. Plus my outfit isn’t full of a thousand holes,” Louis reassured her with a smile. When she still hesitated, he opened the jacket and stood in front of her, slinging it over her shoulders. As he straightened it by the lapels he stood close enough to her that she could smell whatever cologne he was wearing. The scent was pleasant, with hints of vanilla and cedar and many other components she couldn’t name. Without thinking, she leaned closer to him just as he backed away from her.

“There. Looks pretty good on you,” he said, then added, “Though not as good as it does on me.”

Clementine rolled her eyes, but pulled the coat closer to her, finding that it had traces of the scent he was wearing on it. It also helped to ease the chill that had chased its way across her skin, warming her and protecting her from the breeze.

She opened her mouth to thank him, but before she could, the rest of the group finally came out the 7-11. Most of them had slurpees in hand and they were all chatting with one another. When they finally caught sight of her and Louis standing close together, they all stopped their conversation abruptly.

“Jeeze, hope we weren’t interrupting anything,” Minnie said with a smirk.

“Nope. Just trying to help protect Clementine from the elements. You know, since the outfit you picked for her isn’t exactly keeping her warm,” Louis said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Sacrifices must be made in the name of fashion,” Sophie defended, “I’d expect you of all people to understand that.”

“Sure, if you’re the one who’s making the sacrifice,” Louis shot back.

“I’m sure Clem doesn’t mind,” Sophie said, turning to her and asking, “Do you, Clem?”

“In this case, I think I’d rather be warm,” she answered, adding, “I’ve always been more of a function over fashion type of person.”

Sophie tutted her and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll fix that in no time.”

Clementine raised a brow but chose not to respond, effectively ending the conversation. A car on the road passed by, the first one she’d seen in a while, and it occurred to her that it must be late. Really late. She dug in her pocket to pull her phone out and illuminated the screen. 

To her horror, the time read 01:27 and she said, “Damn it! I need to get home.”

“Seriously? It’s so early,” Mitch said, pulling out his own phone.

“I have a curfew. I was supposed to be home by midnight,” Clementine said, shoving her phone back into her pocket and rushing to the van.

“Strict parents?” Marlon asked as they all climbed into the van. He let Clem have the front seat since she needed to get out first.

“Kind of,” she said, not wanting to admit that a midnight curfew was actually later than she usually stayed out. Back home she and her friends were usually in bed by midnight, even on a Friday night.

“Well, I’m sure they won’t be too mad at you as long as you get home safe,” Brody said, giving her a reassuring smile as she buckled herself in and pulled out her phone. She handed the device to Clem and said, “Just put your address in here and we’ll get you back in no time.”

Everyone in the van was quiet as they cruised through the streets, and Clementine felt bad that she’d ruined the mood. It seemed like everyone else’s parents trusted them enough to stay out as late as they wanted, and she felt like a child in comparison. She wondered if Lee would be awake when she got home. If he wasn’t, she still had a chance of being able to sneak up to her room and avoid whatever punishment she might get.

Once they stopped in front of her house, Clementine unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out of the van, saying, “Bye everyone! I had a lot of fun!”

She heard choruses of ‘Bye Clem’ as she shut the door quietly and bounded up the sidewalk to her house. As she slipped her key in the lock and turned it slowly, she prayed that Lee wouldn’t be waiting for her on the other side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were Louis's piano skills enough to woo Clementine?
> 
> Will Clementine be able to break her curfew without getting in trouble?
> 
> Is the gang going to figure out who Louis has a crush on?
> 
> Guess we'll see next time!! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Louis was wistful as he watched her run up the sidewalk and disappear into her house. A small part of him was sad that his time with Clementine had been cut short. However, a much larger part of him felt guilty that they’d inadvertently gotten her in trouble. He really didn’t want to make a bad impression on her parents before he got the chance to meet them.

When he finally switched his focus, he realized that everyone in the van was staring at him.

“What? Is something wrong with my hair?” Louis asked, arching his brow up.

“Nope. We’re all just watching you give Clem the saddest puppy dog eyes we've ever seen,” Minnie said from beside him.

“Excuse me?” Louis said, turning to glare at her.

“You can’t play dumb with us, Lou. You’re _way_ too obvious,” Violet said as she leaned around Minnie to look at him.

“Sorry to disappoint, Vi, but I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Louis replied, as he turned his gaze to Marlon. If his friend had told everyone, he wouldn’t be able to hide it.

When they locked eyes, Marlon just shrugged and said, “Sorry, dude. The jig is up. You may as well just fess up now.”

Louis groaned and slumped back into his seat. The last thing he wanted was for all of his friends to find out. As close as they were, he didn’t want to endure the likely near-constant teasing that would now ensue. They weren’t exactly subtle with their jabs, and now Louis knew it was only a matter of time before Clementine found out about his little crush.

“Can we just go back to Mitch’s please?” Louis asked with a sigh.

“Only when you admit you like Clementine,” Sophie said as she stared at him.

“I’m not admitting shit,” Louis shot back, adding, “Because there is _nothing_ to admit.”

“Come on, Louis! Ain’t nothin’ to be embarrassed about. Yer only makin’ it harder on yerself by denyin’ it,” Ruby said with a shake of her head.

“Then maybe you should take your own advice and admit you have a crush on Aasim!” Louis exclaimed, which caused everyone to gasp. Though it was obvious to anyone that the pair had feelings for one another, it was pretty much an unspoken rule in the group not to talk about it. Luckily for Ruby, Aasim wasn’t present (he hated coming to their parties, and didn’t attend unless forced), so for now their crushes would still remain just that.

“I don’t know what yer talkin’ about!” Ruby sputtered, spinning around in her seat so she was no longer looking at him.

“Not cool, man,” Mitch said, glaring at him.

“Yeah, it’s not Ruby’s fault you’re a chickenshit,” Violet said, giving him her trademark glare.

Louis sighed and ran his hand over his face before he said, “Look, I’m sorry, Ruby. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I just really didn’t want you guys to find out until _I_ was ready to say something.”

“With the way you can’t stop making puppy dog eyes at her, it’s a wonder _she_ hasn’t found out yet,” Minnie remarked.

Louis groaned again and said, “Am I really that obvious?”

“Only because we know you so well,” Brody reassured him from the front seat, “And we’ve never seen you pay so much attention to a girl before.” She started the van and began driving back to Mitch’s house, much to his relief.

“Yeah, and we’re all really happy for you, Lou,” Minnie said, reaching over Violet to give his arm a squeeze.

“Why are you happy for me? She’s literally the coolest girl I’ve ever met. There is no way in a thousand years she’ll think of me as anything other than that one weird guy she sits with at lunch,” Louis said, shaking his head.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Louis,” Brody said from the front, though she kept her eyes on the road.

“Yeah, man! You’re way cooler than you’re giving yourself credit for,” Marlon jumped in, giving him a thumbs up.

“Look, I know I’m fuckin’ rad. But Clementine is on a whole other level. She’s never going to notice me,” Louis sighed, staring at the ceiling of the van.

“Well, she’ll probably notice that she stole your jacket,” Sophie said quietly from where she sat.

“Oh shit,” Louis said, looking down and realizing that Clementine still had his coat.

“Louis gave up his most prized possession? Goddamn, he must really be in deep,” Mitch said with a laugh.

Louis just leaned his head up against the window and watched the houses go by, thinking that he’d give anything to go back in time and not tell Marlon about the girl he’d met that fateful night.

* * *

The house was dark as Clementine entered the foyer, and she thought that perhaps luck was on her side for once. She listened carefully for any sounds that might indicate someone was awake as she unlaced her boots and peeled them off her feet. However, she heard nothing, and breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps she’d come out of this unscathed after all.

Clem padded across the living room carpet softly, feeling herself become more relaxed with each step. That lasted only a moment, though, because a light suddenly flicked on revealing Lee sitting on the couch. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at her, his expression stern as he said, “Hello Clementine.”

Clementine hung her head, replying, “Hi Lee.”

“You wanna tell me what time it is?” Lee asked her, his tone even.

“It’s after midnight,” Clementine stated, her eyes still glued to the floor.

“And what time was your curfew?”

“Midnight.”

She heard Lee sigh and say, “I guess it had to happen eventually.”

Clementine’s eyes finally made their way back to him, and she saw him smiling sadly. “What had to happen eventually?” she asked, her head cocking to the side in confusion.

“You’re growing up,” Lee replied, “I should have expected it sooner or later. Especially with your eighteenth birthday coming up in a few months.”

“So you’re not mad?” Clementine said, surprised at his reaction.

“I didn’t say that,” Lee said, though his expression told her otherwise, “Don’t think I’m not going to punish you, just because you’re older now. Actions still have consequences, even if you’re almost an adult.”

“Oh,”Clementine said, her shoulders slumping once more.

Lee rose off the couch and came over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders as he said, “It’s just hard for me, sweet pea. I still remember the day I met you, right after what happened with your parents. You were so small back then, so frightened. I remember wanting to save you from everything bad in the world. And now that you’re growing up, you’re learning to take care of yourself. You don’t need me as much as you used to.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Of course it is. I am so proud of the strong, independent young woman you’re becoming. Every day you impress me, Clementine,” Lee told her, beaming down at her, “It’s just hard for your old man to let you go.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Lee. At least not for a while,” Clementine said, giving him a hug.

“You got that right,” Lee said with a chuckle as he hugged her back, “You’re grounded.”

“Aww, come on!” Clementine exclaimed, pulling away from him.

“But only for a week. That seem fair?” Lee said, still smiling at her.

Clementine nodded enthusiastically. That certainly seemed more than fair. She’d been expecting at least two weeks, if not a month.

“All right. You’d best be getting to bed now. It’s late after all,” Lee said, reaching to turn the living room lamp off. He paused for a moment and looked back at her, saying, “I’ve never seen that jacket before. Is it new?”

Clem’s mouth dropped open in a small ‘o’ as she looked down and realized she’d accidentally taken Louis’s jacket. It was so comfortable she hadn’t even noticed she was still wearing it. As she looked back at Lee, she realized he was expecting an answer from her. She knew that he’d be able to tell if she lied, and she didn’t want to extend her punishment. But she really didn’t want Lee to know about Louis. If he thought there was even the hint of something romantic between her and a boy, he’d grill her about it for hours. And then he’d want to help play matchmaker, like he’d tried to do so many times with her and Gabe.

Eventually, Clementine settled on saying simply, “A friend loaned it to me. Anyway, you’re right. It’s late. I should really be getting to bed. Good night, Lee.” With that, she rushed off up the stairs and to her room, surprised that Lee had actually let her go. She wondered if he’d try to bring it up again tomorrow, and prayed that he wouldn’t.

Once she was in her bedroom, she slipped the coat off and went to hang it in her closet. However, she hesitated before she grabbed the hanger, instead choosing to feel the material in her hands. It was soft, maybe suede, and felt like it was really worn in, with duct tape on one shoulder. The smell of his cologne wafted up once again, and Clementine drew the fabric to her nose impulsively. She inhaled deeply, wondering what kind of cologne it was. As the scent surrounded her, she pictured his face, and how he always seemed to be smiling. She could still see his eyes, glinting in the light of Mitch’s bedroom, and all the freckles that formed constellations across his cheeks and nose.

Her face flushed as she suddenly realized what she was doing, and she quickly pulled the garment away from her. Clem couldn’t explain what had gotten into her. Rather than dwell on it, she hung the coat and closed her closet door firmly, resolving to send Louis a message in the morning and let him know that it was safe. She wondered if he would come get it. After all, he knew where she lived. It’s not like she’d have to tell him.

Then again, Lee probably wouldn’t allow her to have any visitors while she was grounded, and would probably give Louis the coat himself. It might be better to wait until Monday and give it to him at school.

But then people might speculate that there was something going on between them. Clementine knew how high school was, and if she showed up with his coat in hand, people would probably start spreading rumors that they were an item. Based on the way he reacted when his friends burst in on them at the party, she figured he wouldn’t be very happy if people thought they were a couple.

Her head started to spin as she stripped out of the outfit Sophie gave her and changed into her pajamas. It was only when she was folding the borrowed clothes that she finally realized what she had to do. All of the girls had given her their number, and since she needed to return the outfit anyway, she decided to text Sophie and ask her if she could get the jacket and bring it to Louis. They seemed to be close, and if he _did_ have a crush on her, he’d probably be happy to get his coat from her.

When she woke up the next day, she tapped out a quick message to Sophie on her phone:

**Clementine [10:07]:** _Hey Sophie, it’s Clementine. I forgot that I had Louis’s coat,_ _and I feel bad for borrowing it accidentally_ _. I want to return it to him, but I’m grounded for breaking curfew last night. Any way you could swing by my place and grab it for him?_ _I still have your clothes, too._

There. Now all she had to do was wait. She made her way downstairs and to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. AJ was already awake and sitting at the dining room table. When she got closer, she saw that he looked like he was doing some of his homework. His tongue poked out of his mouth as he concentrated on whatever he was working on.

“What do you have there, goofball?” Clementine asked, joining him after she’d poured herself a bowl of cereal.

“I’m trying to work on my math homework. But it’s hard, and I hate math,” AJ said, putting his pencil down and looking at her, his eyebrows drawn down in frustration.

Clem took a look at his worksheet and saw that he was learning how to add up larger numbers, up to 99,999. She smiled and said, “It’s simple, AJ. You already know how to add small numbers, right?” When he nodded, she continued and said, “So it’s just like that, but with larger values. I’ll help you with the first couple, and then you can do the rest. Sound good?”

AJ nodded enthusiastically and said, “Okay, but we gotta hurry! My friend is coming over soon and Dad said we could only play video games if I was done with my homework.”

“You got it, kiddo,” Clementine said, leaning over his worksheet with him. Just then, her phone chimed, and she checked it to see that she had a message from Sophie.

**Sophie [10:43]:** _Hey Clem! Yeah, I can definitely swing by your house. I just have to drop my little brother off for a play date, and I’ll be over._

Clementine smiled and turned back to AJ’s homework, explaining to him how it worked. He listened attentively, and after she walked him through the first two problems, he did the rest on his own with ease. She felt a swelling of pride in her chest to see him overcoming the problems he’d had when he was younger.

A knock at the door caught her attention, and she assumed it was Sophie to pick up the coat. She was surprised, because it took less time than she’d expected, and she was a little embarrassed to have to answer the door in her pajamas.

“I’ll get it!” AJ said, jumping up from his seat, “It’s probably Tenn!”

Clem followed behind him in case it wasn’t, and was surprised when he opened the door to reveal Sophie and a young boy with a scar on his face.

Sophie looked surprised too as she said, “Clementine?”

“Hey there, Sophie. Is this your little brother?”

“Yeah. Is AJ your little brother?”

“Clem, do you know Tenn’s big sister?” AJ asked, from beside her.

“Yes to both of you,” Clementine said, adding, “It’s very nice to meet you, Tenn. Why don’t you guys go inside and play some video games so Sophie and I can talk?”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Tenn said shyly, not quite meeting her gaze as AJ grabbed his hand and led him through the house.

“That’s so weird,” Sophie remarked from where she still stood on Clementine’s front steps.

“I know. You guys don’t really look alike,” Clem said without thinking.

“He’s adopted,” Sophie replied, her brow raised as she added, “You and AJ don’t really look alike either.”

“We’re also adopted,” Clementine said, suddenly feeling awkward. She rarely brought up either hers or AJ’s pasts and hoped that Sophie wouldn’t push for more details. There were skeletons in both of their closets that didn’t need to be brought to light.

“Oh, cool. So, where’s Louis’s jacket?” Sophie asked, looking Clem over as though she was hiding it somewhere.

“It’s upstairs. If you want to wait inside, I’ll go and get it,” Clementine replied, moving so that Sophie could enter the house.

“All right. We could always hang out for a bit, if you wanted,” Sophie offered as she walked into the foyer.

“I wish I could, but I’m grounded,” Clementine reminded her, smiling sadly.

“Oh right. Sorry, I forgot. That really sucks,” Sophie said, choosing to leave her shoes on as she stood in the entryway, “Your parents must be really strict, huh?”

“Well, it’s only for a week,” Clementine said with a shrug, “Lee’s just trying to look out for me. Anyway, I should go get Louis’s coat and your clothes. I’ll be right back.”

She bounded up the stairs to retrieve his coat and the borrowed outfit. As she pulled it off the hanger, she got another whiff of his cologne, and found that she was sad to be parting with it. However, it wasn’t hers, and she had a feeling he’d want it back sooner than later.

As she made her way back down the stairs, she could hear Lee’s voice and felt her stomach sink. She hoped he’d understand that she wasn’t intentionally breaking the rules of her grounding.

When he caught sight of her, he gave her a look and said, “Hey sweet pea. I was just getting to know your new friend, Sophie. I was surprised to see her here, since I seem to recall that you’re grounded.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Everett. I’m actually here dropping off my brother, Tenn. He’s friends with your son, AJ,” Sophie said, adding, “Clementine didn’t even know I’d be coming.”

“Is that right? Huh, small world,” Lee said, eyeing the bundle in Clementine’s arms, “What’s that you have there, Clem?”

“It’s Sophie’s jacket,” Clem lied, moving past Lee to hand Sophie everything she had, “I figured since she was here I would just give it back to her now.”

She hoped that Sophie wouldn’t reveal the identity of the coat’s true owner. If she wanted to correct her, she didn’t, instead saying, “Thanks, Clem. I’ll see you later. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Everett. I’ll be back to pick up Tenn before dinner.”

“Sounds good! See you later, Sophie,” Clementine said, waving at her as she left the house.

“So you really didn’t know she was coming over?” Lee asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he slipped his shoes on.

“Like you said, it’s a small world,” Clem replied with shrug, changing the subject as she asked, “Where are you going?”

“I have a meeting at the college. I almost forgot, but Carley—another professor on the committee—reminded me. I’ll only be gone for a little while. Think you can handle AJ and Tenn all by yourself?”

“Sure thing! I’m pretty sure they’ll be distracted by whatever video game they’re playing the whole time you’re gone anyway,” Clementine said with a smile. Back home AJ had had a hard time making friends, so she was glad he’d already started forming a bond with someone here.

“All right. I’ll keep my phone on if you need anything,” Lee said, giving her a quick peck on the forehead before he headed out the door.

With that, Clementine decided to start working on some of her own homework. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do, what with being grounded and all.

* * *

Once Sophie got out to her car, she laid the coat in the backseat carefully before she slid into the driver’s seat. She pulled out her phone and started texting Louis:

**Sophie [11:03]:** _Hey Lou! How you feeling after last night?_

**Louis♥♥♥ [11:05]:** _I would have been fine if not for all the shots we did at Mitch’s after we dropped Clementine off. Needless to say I’ve been living in the bathroom._

**Sophie [11:06]:** _Well I have something that’ll make you feel better. ;)_

**Louis♥♥♥ [11:08]:** _What’s that?_

**Sophie [11:09]:** _How about I just_ _come_ _by your place and show you?_

**Louis♥♥♥ [11:10]:** _Honestly Soph I’m not really feeling up to visitors at the moment._

Sophie pouted and sighed, knowing if she told him what she had then he’d let her come over. She hadn’t wanted to resort to bribing him, but apparently that’s what it came down to.

**Sophie [11:12]:** _I promise it won’t take long. I have your beloved coat._

**Louis♥♥♥ [11:13]:** _Seriously?! Bring it over._

**Sophie [11:13]** _See you in a few!_

She started the car and began to drive towards Louis’s place, which was on the nice side of town. As the houses passed by, she thought about her stupid little crush on him. Truth be told, she’d never thought of him romantically when they were growing up. In grade school, he’d been the class clown, always making a scene and trying to get the most attention. Then, in middle school he’d had a growth spurt and been gangly and awkward. He’d made stupid jokes and had terrible acne. Even at the beginning of high school—after he’d figured out how to actually be funny and started using Proactive—she hadn’t looked at him as anything other than a friend.

Then one day she and Minnie had gotten into a fight while they were at the mall. It was over something stupid that Sophie couldn’t even remember, but Minnie had stormed off and left her stranded without a ride. She’d texted everyone she could think of to come get her, and no one had been able to. Louis had been last on her list, but her phone had died before he could respond. So, she’d started to walk home in the rain, pissed and sad that nobody would come to her rescue.

Then, out of the blue, Louis had appeared, riding his bike up the side of the road. He’d looked ridiculous, trying to ride one handed and hold an umbrella in the other. Sophie had held back tears as she climbed on the back of his bike and held the umbrella for him while he pedaled her home.

After that, she saw him differently. She realized that he was so much more than just funny. He was her prince charming. Her knight in shining armor. The guy who could sweep her off her feet and make all her problems go away.

Somehow she’d stumbled into her first big crush, which had been going strong for the last two years. Two long and miserable years of trying to get him to notice her. Trying to get him to think of her as anything other than a friend. Trying and failing to flirt with him. Texting him first instead of waiting for him to text her. Buying him those stupid americanos that he loved so much.

Apparently, it had all been for nothing.

Just like that, he’d stumbled into his own first crush, and it wasn’t on her.

She scowled bitterly at the road as she thought of how easily Clementine had captured his affections. Sophie had been here the whole time, and Clem just waltzed in and made him like her like it was effortless. She still didn’t really understand his feelings for her. Maybe it was just because she was shiny and new. Maybe it was because of her whole ‘cool girl’ vibe.

Sophie didn’t really care what it was. Louis had a crush on Clementine, and that was that.

Once she finally pulled up to Louis’s house, Sophie hesitated, letting the car idle. As much as she wanted to see him, it was now so much more painful. Nothing was worse than knowing that the person you liked had feelings for somebody else. Especially when that person would probably want to talk about their crush in front of you.

Sophie sighed and pulled the key from the ignition, grabbing the jacket and getting out of the car to make her way up the walk. As she stared up at the mansion Louis lived in, she imagined what it might be like to live there herself. It had to be like living in a real life fairy tale. His house even had a turret, which only added to her fantasy.

She rang the doorbell, and a moment later Louis opened the door, still in his pajamas. “Hey Soph,” he said, ushering her inside.

“Hey Lou,” she said as she gave him a quick hug, which he returned with one arm as he shut the door behind her.

“Thanks for bringing me my jacket. I guess Clementine didn’t want to after last night,” Louis said, his eyes sad as he reached for his coat.

“Actually she got grounded, so she couldn’t. She asked me to instead,” Sophie explained, not wanting Louis’s feelings to be hurt.

Watching his eyes light up made her feelings hurt instead, and she had to look away for a moment as he said, “So maybe she wanted to bring it to me after all.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Sophie agreed, shuffling her feet uncomfortably.

Louis seemed to take her reluctance as a sign of something more, and he sighed and said, “You don’t think so, do you? You’re probably right. Like I was saying last night, she’s never gonna think of me any other way.”

“You don’t know that,” Sophie rushed out, his words echoing the ones she thought about him, “She’d be a total idiot not to see how great you are.”

Louis rolled his eyes at her and said, “You have to say that. You’re one of my oldest friends.”

“Which is exactly why you should believe me. We’ve been friends long enough that I definitely don’t have to be nice to you,” Sophie said, smirking at him.

“Fair enough,” Louis said, smiling back at her for a moment before it faded, “But still. I don’t know how to get her to notice me, Soph.”

“I guess I don’t really know either. We haven’t really been friends for that long,” Sophie replied with a shrug.

“Yeah, but you’re still friends, right? So you could help me?” Louis asked, staring at her hopefully.

“What do you mean ‘help you?’” Sophie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You know, like, be my wingman or whatever? Marlon and Mitch offered but they’re terrible with girls. I still don’t know what Brody sees in Marlon, and Mitch has never had feelings for anyone that didn’t come straight from his dick. You have to help me. Pleeeeeease, Sophie? Pretty pretty please? With whipped cream, and sprinkles, and like a million cherries on top?” Louis had dropped to his knees at this point, his hands clasped together as he stared up at her hopefully.

Sophie opened her mouth to say no, but before she could say anything, the sound of the garage door opening made Louis hop to his feet. A minute later, she heard a door open from inside his house, and Louis’s dad call his name.

“Shit. You’d better leave. Just think about it, okay Soph?” Louis said as he opened the front door and started to push her out.

Sophie nodded mutely, and he gave her a thumbs up as he shut the door in her face. She still didn’t understand why it was that he’d never let anyone meet his parents. It was almost as though he was embarrassed of his friends.

As she walked back down to her car, she tried to figure out how to let Louis down gently. He’d seemed so desperate as he’d dropped to his knees and begged for her help. But deep inside she knew it would be next to impossible to help him get into a relationship with someone else. How could she when it was her that should be his girlfriend?

Then again, maybe it would be better this way. If she helped Louis with Clementine, that would give her a chance to get closer to Louis, and maybe then he’d finally see that Sophie was the one for him. They’d probably spend countless hours together, coming up with different plans to win Clem over. And after a while, she could turn the conversation to something else. A while after that, he’d probably forget all about Clem, and ask Sophie to be his girlfriend instead.

It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was certainly a start.

Sophie pulled out her phone and texted:

**Sophie [11:40]:** _I’ll help you. Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! I was out of town and unable to post.
> 
> Sophie's true feelings have finally been revealed! Is she going to stand in Louis and Clementine's way? Or will their feelings for each other overcome her meddling?


	7. Chapter 7

The next few weeks went by in a blur for Clementine, with the week she was grounded being the slowest. She only got the chance to see anyone besides AJ and Lee when she was at school, and the couple of times she’d been invited out she’d had to say no. Though she was happy that they wanted to include her, she was bummed not to be able to actually join in. However, she knew it was her own fault that she was in this situation, so she endured her punishment without complaining too much.

Once her grounding was lifted, she found herself spending more and more time with the group. Mostly, she spent time with the girls, especially Ruby since they had similar schoolwork. She’d also gone to the mall with Sophie, Minnie, and Violet a couple of times. Occasionally on the weekend the whole group would get together at Grandma’s Diner, hanging out until it closed and then they’d bum around town for a while until they wound up at someone’s house.

The thing that Clementine was most grateful for was the way they simply accepted her as one of their own. Besides their inside jokes—which she became familiar with quickly—there was no point where she felt like an outsider. It was a pleasant surprise, considering she’d been anything but optimistic about her prospects at belonging here in Charles Town. No matter how much time she’d had to prepare herself during the summer, there was a part of her that hadn’t been looking forward to solitary nights at home with nothing but her homework and her phone to comfort her.

That didn’t mean she’d forgotten her old friends, though. She still checked in with them every week, though it was pretty much only Duck and Sarah texted her back. It seemed that Gabe was very busy with his new friend Jane. They posted pictures together almost every day, sometimes with Duck and Sarah, but mostly just the two of them. It only bothered Clementine when she’d reached out to Gabe to see how he was, and he ignored her and then posted something on social media the same day. Even if he didn’t have feelings for her, she thought their friendship meant something to him at least. Apparently not as much as it did to her.

She’d been staring at her phone and reading the last few messages she’d sent him when Sophie interrupted her thoughts out of the blue and asked, “Do you want to hang out with me on Saturday?”

Clementine looked up from her phone and realized they were currently the only two people at the lunch table. It surprised her, since Sophie was probably the only one of her new friends that hadn’t seemed to fully warm up to her. Even though AJ and Tenn had become fast friends and hung out every weekend, she and Sophie seemed almost like oil and water. It always felt like she was keeping Clem at arm’s length, just enough to feel like they were friends, but not enough to feel like they would ever be close.

“Is that a no?” Sophie asked, a brow raised as she flipped some of her perfect, beachy waves over her shoulder.

“Sorry, I was just trying to remember if I had any plans. I’d love to hang out. What do you want to do?” Clementine asked, locking her phone and setting it on the table.

“I was thinking we could take a little road trip to Hagerstown. Go to the mall, get our nails done, catch a movie, something like that?” Sophie said, smiling at her, though it didn’t seem to meet her eyes. “I just feel like we haven’t really gotten to know each other, Clementine. And with our little brothers being such good friends, I want us to be, too.”

Maybe there was hope for the two of them after all. Clementine nodded and said, “That sounds cool. Who else is coming?”

“Oh, I thought it would be fun if it was just the two of us. You know, like, a girl’s day!”

Clementine couldn’t help but feel like it would be better if the two of them had a buffer, but she agreed and they made plans for Sophie to come pick her up in the early afternoon. She also promised she’d bring Tenn over so that he and AJ could have another marathon video game session.

On the morning of, Clementine was getting ready to go as AJ was setting up his gaming console in the living room. “Why don’t you guys ever go outside? You know, ride bikes, go on adventures, the usual kid stuff?”

“Because video games are fun. I get to shoot guns and beat up bad guys. Besides, it’s not even nice out, Clem,” AJ said, staring out the window at the cloudy sky. Though she’d hoped it would stay warm a little longer, fall was obviously upon them. The leaves had already changed color and were starting to litter the ground, and most days were dreary at best.

“Good point, goofball,” Clementine said pulling on a denim jacket over her hoodie. As she laced up her boots, she sensed AJ was watching her, and looked over at him, raising an eyebrow.

However, before he could say whatever it was Clem knew he wanted to, there was a knock at the door, letting them know that Sophie and Tenn were there.

When she opened the door, Tenn bounded past her with a quick, “Hi Clem!” Though he was still pretty shy around her, it was clear he was becoming more comfortable with her, and that put a smile on her face.

“Hey Clementine. Ready to go?” Sophie asked, lingering in the doorway.

“Yep. You guys behave yourselves all right? Lee’s in his office if you need anything,” Clementine said, waving at AJ and Tenn who were already settled in on the couch with controllers in hand.

Once they were buckled in and headed on their way out of town, Sophie glanced over at her and asked, “Hey Clem, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure,” Clementine answered uncertainly, wondering just how personal Sophie was going to get.

“I noticed you always call your dad, ‘Lee.’ I get that you were adopted and all that, but Tenn calls our parents mom and dad. I guess I’m just wondering why you don’t?”

Apparently she was going to get very personal. Clem sighed and tried to pick her words carefully, saying, “I wasn’t a baby when Lee and I met, so it never felt right calling him ‘dad.’ Not that I don’t think of him like a father figure. I do. I just have a lot of memories of my biological parents, so, you know.”

“Where are they now?” Sophie asked, her eyes still on the road.

Clementine didn’t want to talk about that, but she couldn’t think of a convenient lie, so she said, “They died in an accident.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories,” Sophie said quietly, her tone sounding sincere.

“It’s okay. You did say you wanted to get to know me. I guess I should have expected it,” Clementine said with a sad chuckle, “So, tell me a little bit about Tennessee. He’s such a shy kid. The only thing I know is that he likes playing video games with AJ.”

“Well, you already know he’s adopted. My parents wanted to have another child, but found out they couldn’t anymore, so they started looking into alternative methods. Eventually, they found a nice girl in Tennessee who wasn’t ready for a baby, and the rest is history. You can guess how they picked his name,” Sophie explained, her lips curved up in a smile as she went on, “He’s always been so sweet. He loves art and really has a knack for it. Sometimes he makes me and Minnie sit for portraits, and they always turn out so good. I hope he can do something with it someday, you know?”

Clementine did know. The way Sophie talked about Tenn reminded her of the way she talked about AJ. It seemed that the two of them finally had something in common: a deep love of their younger siblings. Maybe they could learn how to be good friends after all.

“What about you, Sophie? What are you good at?” Clementine asked, figuring it would be good to find out more about the person she was actually hanging out with.

“Oh, nothing much,” Sophie giggled with a shrug, “Just the usual girl stuff. Hair, makeup, fashion.”

Clementine had noticed. After she thought that Louis might have a crush on Sophie, she’d started to pay more attention to the girl. Her makeup and hair were always flawless—styled today in the perfect fishtail braid—and she basically looked like an Instagram model. The more Clem thought about it, the more sense it made that Louis would be attracted to Sophie.

“But I guess you knew that, since the makeover and everything,” Sophie remarked, adding, “You liked the look, didn’t you Clem?”

“It wasn’t really my style to be honest, but it looked really good,” Clementine said, not wanting to hurt her feelings, “Maybe you should be a stylist or something someday. You’d probably be great at it.”

“You think so? I was thinking maybe a makeup artist. Or, like, a YouTube makeup artist. It looks so cool and glamorous. My favorite YouTuber is Jaclyn Hill, and she’s, like, mega talented and she’s so pretty,” Sophie gushed, a genuine smile on her face for once.

Clementine only half listened as Sophie went on about the different makeup looks that this Jaclyn Hill person had created. Instead, she started comparing herself to Sophie, noting how different the two of them actually were. She was obviously a very feminine girl at heart, where Clementine was more of a tomboy. And Sophie spent a lot more time on her appearance than Clem, which she could only imagine guys appreciated. Guys like Louis, who probably wouldn’t even look twice at a girl like Clementine.

“Clem? Are you even listening to me?” Sophie said, taking her hand off the steering wheel to wave it in Clementine’s face.

“Sorry, what?” Clementine said, feeling guilty that she’d been caught not paying attention.

“I asked you who your favorite YouTubers were,” Sophie huffed, obviously annoyed that she hadn’t been paying attention to her.

“Actually, I never really got into YouTube,” Clementine admitted, adding, “I don’t even have my own computer.”

“Seriously?! How do you even live?” Sophie exclaimed, her eyes wide as she glanced over at Clem for a moment, “What do you do with your free time?”

“Well, back home we had batting cages, so I’d usually be practicing for softball season,” Clementine said, still upset that Charles Town didn’t have any place to for her to keep her skills sharp.

“You play softball? So does Minnie! You’re going to join the team, right?” Sophie asked excitedly.

“I thought it was too late,” Clementine said, “Doesn’t softball season start in the fall?”

“It starts in the spring, silly!” Sophie replied, “Why do you think Minnie has so much free time right now? She’s spending it all with Vi before she’s busy with practices.”

“Oh.” Clementine had been so depressed about the move that she’d decided not to join the team to make Lee feel bad. Since then, she’d realized how childish that was, and had regretted the decision. Hearing that there was a chance that she could join the team after all thrilled her, and she decided to check the school website to see when tryouts were.

“It would be totally cool if you joined!” Sophie continued, “Violet and I get all decked out in the school colors, and there’s usually parties after the games. I bet Tenn and AJ would make pretty good cheerleaders, too!”

Clem smiled at the thought and said, “I’m going to sign up for try-outs as soon as I can. AJ loves coming to my games. I’m sure he’ll have an even better time now that he’ll have a friend to sit with.”

“Definitely! We’ll teach AJ the cheer and everything,” Sophie said.

“That sounds great. It’ll be nice to have more than just AJ and Lee at my games. Does anyone else come out?” Clementine asked.

“Usually everyone shows up, but only when it’s a really big game,” Sophie explained, adding, “Maybe now that you’re joining, you can convince them to at least show up for all the home games.”

“Maybe,” Clem said, wondering if that would actually be the case.

“I’m sure Louis would start coming,” Sophie told her, glancing her direction, “He’s always a good time, don’t you think?”

Clementine nodded and said, “He seems like it. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like him.”

Sophie hummed in agreement, her gaze flipping back to the road as she said, “He’s unique, that’s for sure. Sometimes I think he’s a total dork, though. Like, would it kill him to not always have to be the center of attention?”

Clem’s brows knit together as she replied, “I don’t think he’s trying to be the center of attention.”

“Why else would he be so loud and obnoxious?”

“He’s _not_ obnoxious,” Clementine argued, “He’s just likes to make jokes and have fun.”

“So you like hanging out with him?” Sophie asked.

“Do you like hanging out with him?” Clem countered. She wasn’t sure why Sophie was being so hard on Louis, and hoped for his sake she wasn’t being serious.

“Oh yeah. Louis is great. I just know that he can come on a little strong sometimes,” Sophie shrugged. She changed the subject quickly after that, saying, “So, I think we should do mani-pedis first. What do you think?”

“Uh…sure,” Clementine replied uncertainly, having never had either procedure done before. However, she’d get the chance soon, as they had just pulled into the mall parking lot.

“Look, I promise it’ll be fun, okay? Afterwards we can get Starbucks,” Sophie promised, unbuckling her seat belt and getting out of the car.

The mall was just as crowded as you would expect on a Saturday, with people of all types milling about in the stores. There were families with children, young couples, older women in athletic clothes no doubt walking back and forth for the exercise. Clementine had never been a fan of large crowds, and found herself slightly on edge as she and Sophie wound their way through all the groups of people. She noticed that Sophie had her phone out and was typing away, her fingers flying quickly across the screen.

She was about to ask her who she was texting when she noticed a familiar set of dreadlocks bobbing their way through the crowd towards them.

“Sophie, is that Louis?” Clementine asked, not wanting to make an ass of herself if it wasn’t.

“Oh my god, it is! How funny,” Sophie said, waving at him and yelling, “Louis! Hey!”

“Hey guys! Fancy meeting you here!” Louis said when he reached them. He was wearing his signature coat again, underneath a dark, mock-neck sweater and a pair of blue jeans with the same boots he’d been wearing at the party.

Seeing the two of them standing together, it was hard to picture them with anyone but each other. Louis had just as much fashion sense as Sophie. Everything about his look seemed purposeful, much like her. She had to be the girl he had a crush on. There was no doubt about it in Clementine’s mind.

“We were just about to go get mani-pedis if you wanted to join us!” Sophie said, looping her arm through his.

Louis’s brows shot up and he said, “I think I’ll pass, thanks. That’s not really my thing.”

“Oh come on! It’ll be fun. Clem’s never done it either,” Sophie told him, shooting Clementine a smile.

“And she looks like she’d like to keep it that way, Soph,” Louis said, giving Clem a wink, “I was actually just on my way to Starbucks if you guys would rather join me.”

“Well, we were going to do that after, but I guess we can go now. Is that okay with you Clementine?” Sophie asked, unwinding herself from Louis.

“Absolutely,” Clem said, breathing a sigh of relief, which made Louis laugh. The sound of it made her heart beat a little faster, and she felt her face flush as the three of them made their way to the coffee shop.

“You guys sit down and I’ll grab the drinks. Clem, what do you like?” Sophie asked, as she and Louis sat down at a table.

“Honestly, I’m more of a tea person,” Clementine confessed, as she handed Sophie some money for the drink, “Could you get me a chai latte?”

“You got it,” Sophie said with a smile. Clementine noticed that she didn’t ask Louis what he wanted, and felt a small spark of jealousy that she knew his coffee order when Clem didn’t.

When she returned, she handed Clementine her chai latte, then handed Louis another cup as she said, “And an americano for Louis!”

Louis smiled at her, though Clementine got the sense that he wasn’t as enthused about the drink as Sophie seemed to be. Her suspicion was only confirmed when he took a sip of the drink and grimaced slightly before he gave Sophie a thumbs up and said, “Thanks, Soph. So, what brings you guys to the mall today?”

“Oh, we were just having a little girl’s day out,” Sophie answered before Clementine could, “We were going to see a movie later if you’d want to come.”

“Wouldn’t inviting a boy no longer make it a girl’s day out?” Louis asked as he took another sip of his drink. His nose crinkled in the same way it had before, and Clementine smiled at the gesture.

“Are you saying you don’t want to hang out with us?” Sophie asked, giving him her signature pout. She’d given him the same look when he hadn’t complimented the makeover she’d given Clem at the party.

Clementine prayed that he’d join them. Even though Sophie was being cordial, it was obvious to her that the girls were just too different to be anything other than casual friends who only hung out when other people were present. Not that she thought Sophie was a bad person, of course. They just didn’t have enough in common to strike up a true, genuine friendship. She got the sense that Minnie would be the twin she could get close to, especially if they both wound up on the softball team.

“No! I just don’t want to intrude on all the girly activities you have planned. You know, the tea parties, the gossiping about boys, the mani-pedis, and all that,” Louis replied with a smirk.

Clementine rolled her eyes and was about to respond when Sophie’s phone started to ring. The redhead picked it up, and after a few minutes of conversation hung up and said, “Shoot! I have to go. My mom needs her car back asap. Sorry to cut the day short, Clementine.”

Clementine couldn’t help but be disappointed that they had to leave so soon, especially after running into Louis.

“I could always give Clementine a ride home. If you don’t mind hanging out with me, that is,” Louis said, smiling at Clementine from across the table.

“That sounds great,” Clementine blurted out happily without thinking, “Although it’s too bad you can’t stay, Sophie.”

The expression that crossed Sophie’s face was unreadable, and it was gone before Clementine could figure out what it was. Instead, she pasted on a bright, cheery smile as she said, “It’s all good. See you later guys!”

Clementine watched her trot off through the crowd, still puzzling over what she thought she’d seen. There was something almost pained about the expression, a sadness that lingered in her bright blue eyes. Maybe it was because she wanted to spend time with Louis, too. Or maybe Clementine had hurt her feelings by being more than happy to ditch her in favor of someone else.

Louis suddenly put his phone down beside her and said, “So! What do you want to do today, Clementine?”

“Dunno. Those mani-pedis sounded kind of fun,” Clementine replied, smirking at him through her eyelashes.

“Really?” he asked wearily as his face fell, which caused her to burst out laughing.

“I got you!” Clem said through her giggles, “You should see the look on your face!”

“Seriously? That was cruel, Clem! I really thought I was going to have to let a complete stranger touch my feet,” Louis said, leaning back in his chair, a relieved grin on his face.

“Would that be so bad? I heard it’s actually pretty relaxing,” Clementine said, wondering why Louis would be so weary to have anyone touching his feet.

“Yeah, no thanks. The only person touching my feet is me,” Louis said, taking another sip of his drink, and wincing once more.

“You don’t really like americanos, do you?” Clementine observed, the words leaving her lips before she could stop herself.

Louis’s eyes widened slightly with surprise as he asked, “How could you tell?”

Clem’s mouth curved up in a smile as she said, “You wrinkle your nose every time you take a drink.”

“Damn. I thought I was hiding it better. I guess Sophie still hasn’t noticed though,” Louis said, pushing the cup away from him, “I went through this stupid phase in freshman year where I thought drinking them made me look cool and intellectual. By the time I realized they tasted like shit and only made me look like an asshole, it was too late. Now Sophie won’t stop buying them for me, and I feel too guilty to correct her.”

“So, what do you like?” Clementine asked, standing and pulling out her wallet, “I’ll get it for you to make up for it.”

She could almost swear he was blushing as he said, “I don’t want to tell you. You’ll just make fun of me.”

“Oh come on. It can’t be that embarrassing. It’s just a drink,” Clem said, rolling her eyes.

Louis mumbled something, and when Clem pressed him, he finally said, “I like blended strawberry frappuccinos, okay? The girliest fucking drink there is. But it’s so good. You have no idea, Clem.”

“I guess I’ll find out in a minute,” Clementine said, making her way to the counter to order one from the barista.

As she waited on the drink, she looked over at Louis to see him messing around with his phone. It looked like he was texting someone, and she wondered if he was telling Sophie how much he wished she was here. She couldn’t say for sure if the feeling was mutual on Sophie’s part, and found herself hoping that it wasn’t.


	8. Chapter 8

**Louis [12:15]:** _Your plan worked! Thanks again for_ _agreeing to help me out._

Louis looked up and saw Clementine waiting patiently for the barista to make his strawberry frappuccino. He thought it was slightly embarrassing to have a girl buy him a drink—especially one that was frothy and pink—and he resolved to make it up to her by taking her to the movies later on.

**Sophie [12:16]:** _You still owe me for the gas! But you’re welcome. :)))))_

Louis didn’t agree, but he wasn’t going to argue. She was the one who thought they should drive all the way out to Hagerstown to arrange a ‘chance’ meeting. They could have just as easily figured something out in Charles Town, but Sophie had thought they might run into other people they knew.

He’d suggested just asking Clem to hang out solo, but Sophie had shot that down, too. She’d told him that it was too much like a date, and if Clementine said no, then his chances of going out with her were over before they’d even began. If Louis just happened to bump into them, and then Sophie conveniently had to leave, it wouldn’t be at all like a date. That would give him and Clem the chance to hang out without Louis having to ask her himself.

Supposedly it was the perfect plan, and Louis had to hand it to Sophie, because it was actually working. Minnie’s little phone call went off without a hitch, and Clementine hadn’t been any the wiser. He felt kind of bad lying to her, but figured that it was only a white lie and she’d probably never find out. Besides, it seemed like she was having fun so far, and she’d agreed to hang out with him on her own after Sophie said she had to go. He didn’t really have anything to feel bad about.

Clementine appeared at the table a moment later, sliding the strawberry frappuccino his direction. “There you go. I hope it tastes good,” she said, reaching for her own drink.

“You should have the first taste. You know, since you’ve never tried it before. Who knows? Maybe I’ll make you a convert,” Louis said, wiggling his eyebrows as he slid it back to her.

Clementine raised a brow and said, “We’ll see.” She took the cup from him tentatively, bringing the straw to her lips and taking a quick sip. Louis watched her face carefully, and was satisfied when she nodded and said, “It’s pretty good. I’d still take my chai over it, though.”

“Whatever. You clearly just can’t deal with my superior taste. It’s fine. I understand,” Louis said, taking the cup back from her. As he took a drink, he enjoyed the sweet, sugary taste and thought about how long it had been since he’d had one. It seemed like whenever he wanted a coffee, Sophie was more than happy to buy him one, so he’d been drinking americanos for ages. This was a refreshing change of pace.

“Or maybe I’m the one with better taste, and you can’t handle the truth,” Clementine shot back, a smirk on her face as she sipped her chai.

“That’s a bold claim,” Louis said, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on the table, “Care to back it up?”

“How?” Clem asked, tilting her head to the side which caused a wayward curl to escape from underneath her signature hat.

“Favorite band. Go,” Louis said, taking an opportunity to get to know her a little better.

She looked taken aback for a moment, and blurted out, “Uh, Paramore. You?”

Louis nodded and said, “Oh, obviously Drake.”

Clementine snorted and said, “Who’s your real favorite?”

Now it was Louis’s turn to be taken aback. Somehow, even though they’d just met, Clementine could read him like a book. It was both thrilling and unnerving all at once.

“Who says he’s not my real favorite?”

“If you actually liked him, you’d have played some of his music at Mitch’s party. But I didn’t hear a single Drake song. And I would have remembered, because I’m not really a fan.”

“Fine,” Louis said, sitting back and folding his arms across his chest as he admitted bashfully, “My _actual_ favorite is Florence and the Machine.”

Clementine nodded and seemed to accept his answer without ridiculing him as he’d expected. Marlon and Violet had teased him non-stop when he’d first told them. After that he’d decided to pick someone more masculine in order to avoid a similar reaction from others.

“Okay, so, favorite movie?” Louis asked, picking up their little game again.

“ _A League of Their Own_ ,” Clementine replied quickly and easily, “You?”

“ _August Rush_ ,” Louis told her honestly, knowing she’d be able to figure out the truth if he tried to lie, “Favorite TV show?”

“Honestly, I don’t really watch TV,” Clementine answered with a shrug.

“Same,” Louis said, a smile on his face, “Favorite book?”

“ _The Hunger Games_ ,” she answered, “You?”

“That’s a movie,” Louis said, raising a brow at her.

“It was a book first,” Clementine retorted crisply, “And, like most movies based on books, the book is better.”

“Fair enough,” Louis said as he backed off, “My favorite book is _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_.”

“That’s a movie, too.”

“And, like most movies based on books, the book is better,” Louis replied with a wink, echoing her words back to her, “Anyway, favorite food?”

Clementine rolled her eyes as she answered, “Pizza.”

“Hell yeah,” Louis said, adding, “Favorite pizza topping?”

He held his breath as he waited for her to answer, praying that she wouldn’t say olives.

“I don’t think I want to tell you,” Clementine finally said.

“Why not? What could be so bad about your favorite pizza topping?”

“Well, let’s just say most people hate it.”

“Wait, is it pineapple?”

“Look, it’s good, okay? Just because most people can’t appreciate the contrast of flavors, that doesn’t mean it’s bad,” Clementine replied, throwing her hands up.

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me that. I love pineapple on pizza!” Louis said with a grin, hardly able to believe he’d found someone who he could finally share a pizza with.

“Really?” Clem asked him, her eyes wide.

“Duh. Would I lie to you?” Louis asked.

“Well, you _did_ lie about liking Drake,” Clementine remarked.

Louis laughed and said, “And I learned my lesson, didn’t I?”

“I guess so,” Clem admitted, “Anyway, how is this supposed to decide who has better taste?”

“Easy. We compare answers, and whoever gets more points has better taste.”

“And who currently has more points?”

“Me, obviously.”

“Says who?” Clementine asked, raising a brow.

“Says me,” Louis replied.

“How is that fair?” Clementine retorted, though he could hear amusement in her voice as her lips were quirked up in a smile.

“Well, since I currently have better taste—you know, according to the points—I’m obviously the better judge,” Louis answered, which made Clem roll her eyes.

“Fine. How about I ask _you_ some questions for a change? You know, even the playing field and all that,” Clementine said, her smile taking on a mischievous look.

“Shoot,” Louis said, though he was nervous. He had a feeling her questions would be a lot more personal and invasive.

“What fictional place would you most like to visit?”

“Hogwarts.”

“I thought you were trying to avoid going to boarding school.”

“Yeah, but this is magical boarding school, which is not at all the same as real boarding school.”

“Fair enough,” Clementine said. She started to ask another question, but was interrupted by Louis.

“Hey now! You have to answer the question, too.”

“Fine. Rivendell. Or maybe the Shire.”

“So you _are_ a nerd,” Louis said, leaning back in his chair as he grinned at her.

“Says the guy who chose a school as the one fictional place he’d visit if he could go anywhere,” Clementine volleyed back, returning his smile.

“Touche.”

“Okay, what real place would you most like to visit?”

“Probably New York City. You?”

“New Zealand. If you were stuck on a desert island, who’s the one person you’d bring with you?”

Though Louis’s knee-jerk response was to tell Clementine that she’d be the person, he kept his mouth shut. It was a little too soon and he doubted she’d return the sentiment. No need to make things awkward.

“Probably Marlon. Although I get the feeling Violet would be better at survival stuff. But I gotta choose my best friend, so Marlon,” Louis finally answered, “You?”

Clementine shifted uncomfortably for a moment as her expression became unreadable. He wondered what she was thinking, but before he could ask her, she said, “My friend, Sarah, from back home. What’s some advice you’d give your younger self if you could talk to yourself for one minute?”

Spend more time with your mom. Don’t be such a brat. Try to make her smile more. Clean your room when she told you to.

Louis felt his heart grow heavy, and it was his turn to be uncomfortable as he tried to think of a better answer.

“Try to live in the present more,” he finally answered, adding, “There’s only one guarantee in life: this moment. That’s all you, or I, or any of us have. So we might as well enjoy it.”

Clem’s mouth had dropped open, forming a small ‘o’ and for the first time, he felt self-conscious in her presence. There were very few people he opened up to, even on as small a level as he just had. Louis could feel his cheeks warm as he wondered if he should apologize to her. After all, most people just wanted the fun Louis who cracked jokes and smiled all the time. Rarely did anyone keep paying attention after that.

“I get that,” Clementine finally said, surprising him, “I think I’d tell myself the same. Honestly, I could probably still use that advice.” She smiled warmly at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat as his mouth went dry.

Louis took a quick drink of his frappuccino and tried to slow his heart rate down a little. There was just something about the way she had looked at him then that made it race at a mile a minute. He wondered if it was loud enough for her to hear, and tried to think of something interesting to say to distract her from it.

“So, you got any more questions for me?” Louis asked lamely, forcing a weak chuckle out.

“Well, how’s the score?” Clem replied.

“Score?”

“You know, to see who has better taste?”

Oh. Right. Their little game. “How about we just call it even? Agree to disagree. Except on pizza toppings, of course,” Louis said with a wink.

“Fine. For now, anyway,” Clementine said, a grin on her face.

“Great! So, what else were you and Sophie going to do today?” Louis asked, changing the subject.

“Well, besides mani-pedis, she said she wanted to do some shopping and maybe catch a movie,” Clementine said with a shrug, adding, “Why’d you come to the mall anyway?”

This caught Louis off guard. The one thing he hadn’t thought about were his own reasons for why he’d driven all the way out to Hagerstown. It was the only part of their plan that he and Sophie had failed to come up with.

“Uh, you know. Better shopping out here. I needed some new shoes,” Louis fibbed, hoping she’d buy it.

“Well, let’s go then,” Clementine said, standing and grabbing her now empty cup.

“Go?” Louis asked, standing with her and staring at her quizzically.

“To get you some shoes,” she stated as she indicated to his hands, which were devoid of any kind of shopping bag.

“Oh, I don’t want to bore you,” Louis said shaking his head as he followed her out of the Starbucks. He hadn’t really meant to buy shoes, and as much as he wouldn’t mind getting a pair, he couldn’t help but feel like that would be the most boring thing for he and Clementine to do together.

“It’s fine, really. I could use some new boots anyway,” Clem replied as she glanced back at him over her shoulder, “Besides, I’m the one who messed up your plans. It’s the least I can do.”

Somehow her taking the lead felt completely natural, and Louis followed behind her as the two of them wound up at Journeys. She immediately went to the Doc Martens and picked out a pair of plain black ones.

“C’mon,” Louis said, shaking his head disapprovingly, “You can do better than that.”

“What’s wrong with these?” Clem asked, holding the pair up.

“They’re boring. What about these?” Louis replied, grabbing a pair of sparkly, holographic ones off the shelf.

“These are going to make my feet look like a disco ball,” Clementine said, eyeing the pair wearily.

“And? That sounds fucking rad,” Louis said, though he didn’t want to be pushy.

“Yeah, do I look like a disco ball kind of person to you?” Clem retorted, one of her brows cocked up.

Louis laughed and said, “Not with that facial expression you don’t. But fine. You’re right.” He put the boots back on the shelf and browsed along until he found the perfect pair that screamed ‘Clementine.’ “Here,” he said, plucking them from where they sat.

He watched her face and was satisfied as her eyes went a little wide. Instead of plain black, the boots had roses embroidered on them. They were the perfect mix of feminine and badass, just like Clementine was.

“What do you think?” Louis asked when she didn’t say anything.

“Now _t_ _hese_ are rad,” Clem replied as she took the pair from him. Her slim fingers traced over the delicate embroidery, and he could tell she admired the craftsmanship. She looked at him and said, “Now we just need to find a pair for you.”

“Well, since I picked out your pair, you should pick out mine. It only seems fair,” Louis said, curious to see what she’d choose for him.

Clementine bit her lip as her eyes wandered around the store. He saw them fall on the Vans wall, and he watched as she walked over to a pair of nineties inspired checkered shoes. They were just the right mix of colorful yet understated, and as she plucked them off the wall, he knew he’d be walking out of the store with them.

“What about these?” Clementine asked him shyly. God, she was cute. He couldn’t get over the way she peeked up at him through her eyelashes, seeming nervous about whether or not he’d like them.

“They’re perfect,” Louis said sincerely as he took them from her, which caused her to beam at him. She was so goddamn cute he could die.

“You think so?” she asked as they went to find a salesperson so they could get their correct sizes.

“Fuck yeah! They’re loud and colorful, just like me,” Louis said, adding, “This might have just earned you another point in the whole, ‘who has better taste’ debate.”

“So I’m winning now?”

“Nah, I picked out your boots, which earned me double points, so I’m the one who’s winning,” Louis said, laughing when she made a mock-outraged noise.

Before she could argue with him, they were finally approached by one of the workers in the store who asked if he could help them. They told the man their sizes and he disappeared into the backroom to retrieve them. Once he returned, they made their way to the register, paid for their things, and left.

“Well, that was quick and painless,” Louis remarked as they exited the store.

“Yeah, I’m kind of surprised. I thought you’d be way pickier,” Clementine said as they started to meander aimlessly.

“Excuse me?” Louis asked, his brows shooting up, “What about me says ‘picky?’”

“I don’t know,” Clem replied as she seemed to think about it, “You just seem to have an eye for fashion, so I thought you’d take longer to decide what you wanted.”

Well, she had a point there. If he’d been alone, he’d have probably tried on at least ten pairs before he settled on the one. And he may not have even looked twice at the pair she’d picked out for him. Yet somehow, seeing them in her hands, he’d just known they were for him.

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult,” Louis finally said with a chuckle.

“Maybe a little bit of both,” Clementine replied with a mischievous smirk.

“I’ll just choose to ignore the insult part then,” Louis said, “So thanks for the compliment!”

Clementine only rolled her eyes in response, and they continued to wander through the mall in companionable silence for a few minutes.

Eventually they reached one of the exits, and Clem turned to him and said, “Well, I guess we could head back home now, if you wanted.”

“You sure? I thought you said you and Sophie were going to see a movie. I’m game if you still are,” Louis said, trying to keep his tone level even though he was desperate not to have their time cut short.

“It’s fine. I’m sure you didn’t come all this way just to spend your whole day at the mall,” Clementine said with a shrug.

“To be honest, I didn’t really have a plan. You know, living in the moment and all that,” Louis told her with a wink, “Come on. Let’s put our stuff in my car, and then we can go to the theater and check out what’s playing. If we don’t see anything we like, then we can leave. Deal?”

Louis extended his hand towards her so they could shake on it, and was delighted when she took it and shook it firmly as she said, “Deal.”

* * *

Clementine was surprised that Louis was so enthusiastic about hanging out with her. She thought for sure that he’d want to leave as soon as he could. After all, he could try to seek Sophie out once they got back to Charles Town. Instead, it seemed like he was in no hurry to head back, and he hadn’t checked his phone once since they’d been at Starbucks.

Something about the idea of him wanting to spend time with her made her feel warm all over. As she shook his hand, the butterfly feeling in her stomach returned the same as it had at the party. It was strange and she was so distracted by it that she almost didn’t follow him into the parking lot.

Clem looked around, expecting a beater or something practical that a parent would drive, and was surprised when he walked up to a sporty looking vehicle. Its orange paint shone brightly in the afternoon sunlight, and she raised a brow at him as she said, “Is this really your car?”

Louis’s shoulders tensed for a moment before he turned around and said, “Nah, it’s my dad’s. He lets me borrow it sometimes, as long as my grades are good enough.”

“Wow. You’re lucky. My dad barely trusts me to drive his car, and it isn’t nearly this nice,” Clementine said with a snort as she ran her fingers along the exterior.

“I guess lucky is one word for it,” Louis said quietly as he popped the trunk and deposited their bags inside. She was reminded of the way he’d talked about his dad outside of the 7-11 the night of the party, and instantly felt guilty. Before she could apologize, however, he shut the trunk and turned to her with a grin as he said, “So, any movies in particular that you’ve been dying to see?”

She noticed the way his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes, but chose not to comment on it as she said, “I’m not sure. With the move and starting at a new school I haven’t really been keeping up with what’s coming out.”

“That’s fair,” Louis said with a nod, “Let’s just see what they have when we get there.”

Once they arrived at the movie theater, they surveyed the marquee. There were a handful of movies Clem would be mildly interested in, but nothing that really grabbed her attention.

Louis, on the other hand, clapped her on the shoulder excitedly as he said, “We _have_ to go see _Halloween._ ”

“Seriously?” Clem asked, never having been a big fan of horror movies.

“Uh, yeah! Are you telling me you’re too scared?” Louis teased, as he put his hands on his hips and smirked down at her.

“No!” Clem insisted, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him.

“Then prove it! See the movie with me,” Louis said, adding, “It’ll be my treat, to thank you for the coffee.”

Clementine felt her cheeks warm. Even though she knew it wasn’t, it almost seemed like a date. She’d never been on a date before, and had always expected her first one to be with Gabe. However, she knew he was just offering to be nice, and it didn’t actually mean anything.

“Fine. But only because you think I can’t handle it,” Clementine said, walking past him and into the theater. She waited by a bench while he bought their tickets, and when he approached her, he also had popcorn and a drink in hand.

When she raised a brow at him, he said, “What? You can’t go to a movie and not eat popcorn. But don’t worry, I’ll share.”

She rolled her eyes, and the two of them went into the theater together. Even though it was Saturday, they were the only two people there. It surprised Clem, but then she supposed that most of the people going to movies were families with kids, and this was not a movie she’d take a child to. If _she_ thought it was scary, it would probably give AJ nightmares for weeks.

As the previews rolled, the two of them whispered back and forth while they shared popcorn. Once the movie started, however, Louis’s gaze was riveted on the screen, completely enraptured by what he was watching. Clementine, on the other hand, was doing everything she could not to hide behind her hat. Even though she was brave and confident in real life, horror movies were her one weakness.

At one particularly scary part of the movie, Clementine jumped and her hand instinctively shot out and grabbed Louis’s. Her action caused him to jump and he tossed half their popcorn in the air in surprise.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Louis said as he started to laugh.

“I’m so sorry!” Clementine exclaimed as she scrambled to pick up the mess that was all over their seats.

“Clem, it’s fine,” Louis chuckled as he brushed the popcorn on his lap onto the floor. He glanced her direction and said, “Hey, sit still for a second.”

Louis reached his hand towards her face, and she felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she tried to figure out what he was going to do.

A second later, he extracted a piece of popcorn from her hair and said, “Here.”

“I don’t want that,” Clementine said with a shake of her head.

“Well, I’m not going to eat it,” Louis replied and flicked it onto the floor. He paused for a moment then added, “And hey, if you were scared enough to want to hold my hand, all you had to do was ask nicely.”

“It was just a reflex,” Clementine muttered, sitting back in her seat as she turned her attention back to the movie. However, her heart was still fluttering, and she wondered if he’d meant what he said.

She managed to make it through the rest of the movie without embarrassing herself again, and when it was over, they headed back to Louis’s car. Clementine had had enough excitement for one day, and was ready to head back home. The sun was going down and Lee would start to worry if she didn’t make it back in time for dinner.

As they cruised down the highway Louis spoke up, saying, “Well, that was a pretty fun day.”

“Yeah, it was,” Clementine agreed, a soft smile on her face.

“I didn’t realize you were such a scaredy-cat though,” he said with a chuckle.

“I am not!” Clem exclaimed, adding, “It was a one time thing. That movie was scary!”

“It wasn’t even that bad. I’ve seen _way_ scarier movies than that.”

“Whatever.” Clementine was going to say more, but a notification from her phone vibrating in her pocket caught her attention. When the screen illuminated, she saw that Gabriel Garcia had made a new post on Facebook.

As the app opened up, her blood ran cold. Gabe’s post told her—and the rest of the world—that he was in a relationship. Naturally, it was with that girl Jane. Even though she’d seen it coming, the news still knocked the wind out of her. Clementine bit her lip, as she saw comments underneath the post. Both Duck and Sarah congratulated him, which only added insult to injury.

“Hey, Clem. Everything okay?” Louis asked, his head turned in her direction.

When she looked up to assure him that she was fine, she saw a deer crossing the road in front of them and cried, “Look out!”

“Shit!” Louis yelled as he swerved out of the way to avoid the deer. When he did, he wound up going into oncoming traffic, so he swerved the other direction, almost sending them into the ditch.

As they slowed to a stop on the side of the road, Clem couldn’t help the flashbacks that were rolling through her brain.

Metal on metal. Bright lights. The tangy smell of blood in the air, and the eerie silence once the car had finished pitching over and over itself. The red and blue flashes of the emergency vehicles. Strong hands extracting her from the wreckage. White sheets covering her parents’ faces.

She began to hyperventilate as the screams of her parents filled her ears, and she put her hands over them to stop the sound, even though she knew it was in her head.

Louis’s voice eventually cut through the noise as he yelled, “Clem! Clementine!”

His hands were on her shoulders, shaking her lightly. When she looked up at him, she realized that she had tears streaking down her cheeks. Louis’s dark eyes were wide with concern as they searched her face. When he saw her tears, he used his hands to brush them away as he asked, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No, I just…I…” Clementine hiccuped as she tried to explain. He let go of her face, but put his hand over hers as she sat back in her seat and started to take deep breaths.

When she finally calmed down, she sighed and said, “When I was little my parents and I were in a bad car accident. There was a drunk driver and he swerved into our lane and hit our car. It was…really awful. Our car just rolled and rolled for what seemed like forever. It was so loud. I remember everyone screaming and then all of a sudden it was quiet. I was fine for the most part. Barely a scratch on me. But my parents didn’t make it.

“It took years for me to be able to ride in a car without having a panic attack. Even now I still get a little nervous, but mostly I’m fine. Stuff like that though…”

“You don’t have to explain anymore. I understand,” Louis told her sadly, giving her hand a squeeze. His eyes shone with emotion as he said, “I’m so sorry, Clementine. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off the road. I really hope you can forgive me.”

“Of course I forgive you, Louis. It’s not like you put the deer there,” Clementine reassured him, putting her other hand over top of his, “I’m sorry I freaked out like that.”

Louis put his other hand over top of hers as he said, “Clem, you don’t need to apologize for that. Never apologize for something like that. What happened to you was terrible, and your reaction to something that was so similar to your trauma is completely normal.”

Clementine was shocked at his sincerity, and felt tears well up in her eyes once more. It was one of the only times she’d had a panic attack in front of a friend, and his reaction was somehow the best by far. Of all the people she would expect to understand, Louis hadn’t been one of them. She felt bad for underestimating him.

“Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me. More than you know,” Clementine finally said.

Louis only smiled back at her, his hands warm as they held hers. Suddenly, a car zipped by them, causing them to spring apart.

“I’d better get you home. I promise, it’ll be in one piece,” Louis chuckled nervously as he put the car in drive and got back onto the highway. A short while later, he said, “You can put on some music, if you want. I’ve got some CDs in the glove compartment.”

Though she thought it was strange that he still used CDs, she reached inside and found several Florence and the Machine albums, along with one by a band called CHVRCHES. She decided to put that one in, and they listened to music for the rest of the ride home.

Once they pulled up in front of her house, Clementine turned to Louis and said, “Thanks for hanging out with me today. It was fun. Well, besides the deer. But you know.”

“Hell yeah it was. We should do it again sometime, sans the deer, of course,” Louis replied, giving her a thumbs up.

“I’d like that. We should exchange numbers, so we can actually plan something instead of just hoping we’ll run into each other,” Clementine said, pulling out her phone to add his contact information. She looked up at him expectantly and found that his eyes were wide with surprise. “Unless you don’t want to…”

“No, I want to! I was just shocked I didn’t already have it for some reason,” Louis explained hastily as he pulled out his own cellphone.

The two of them added each other as contacts, and then Clementine was off, waving goodbye as she headed up the walk. When she unlocked her door, she glanced over her shoulder and saw that he was still there, waiting for her to get inside safely. The same familiar warmth spread over her cheeks, and she smiled softly to herself as she walked through the door.

* * *

Louis sighed happily as he slumped back against his seat. Clementine wanted to hang out with him again. She wanted his phone number. She had fun with him today, even after he’d almost gotten them killed. And, she’d trusted him enough to tell him about her parents.

It wasn’t exactly romance, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

He pulled out his phone and typed out a quick message to Sophie.

**Louis [19:38]:** _You. Are. A. Genius. Let’s just say today was a huge success._ _I’ll Venmo you the gas money._


	9. Chapter 9

“So, tell me again why I still need your help? I have her phone number! And she said she wants to hang out with me,” Louis said quietly as he and Sophie pretended to be talking about their English assignment.

“That doesn’t mean you understand girls all of a sudden,” Sophie told him as she stared down at the pages of the book whose chapter they were supposed to be discussing.

“Yeah, but I think I understand Clementine. At least better than you do,” Louis said, flipping the pages back and forth to look more convincing. A part of him wondered idly if the other students in class were doing something similar. He supposed he’d never know.

“Oh really? You hang out with her one time and just like that she’s your best friend?” Sophie asked a little more loudly than she’d apparently intended. People near them looked over, and their teacher glanced up at them from her desk with a raised brow.

“I didn’t say that,” Louis whispered, his eyes narrowing as he asked, “What’s with you? I don’t see what the big deal is.”

She sighed and flipped some her her hair back over her shoulder as she said, “I’m sorry. I just want you to be happy and I’m not sure that you can win her over by yourself just yet.”

“Ouch. Thanks for the confidence boost, Soph,” Louis sniped sarcastically.

“I only want what’s best for you, Louis. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Sophie said quietly, reaching out her hand and placing it on his.

Before he could pull it away, a shadow loomed over them. Their teacher cleared her throat and said sternly, “Why do I get the feeling you two aren’t talking about _The Great Gatsby_?”

“Sorry ma’am,” they both said in unison as Sophie pulled her hand away from his and put it in her lap quickly.

“If I see another display like that, I’ll force you to change partners. Do you understand me?” the teacher said, her hands on her hips.

“Yes ma’am,” they chorused once again as students around them snickered.

Once the teacher was out of earshot, Sophie leaned forward and said quietly, “Come to my place later tonight, and we can have a strategy session. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Fine,” Louis sighed, though he didn’t really want to. He’d been so confident after Saturday, but Sophie’s words left him feeling a little shaken. Maybe he did still need her help after all.

* * *

As Ruby and Clementine walked through the hall on their way to their next class, she heard some students whispering about a couple who got yelled at during English class.

“…And then the teacher caught them holding hands! I swear Sophie’s face was almost as red as her hair,” one of the kids said, which immediately held Clementine’s attention.

“Yeah, but Louis looked pissed. I thought maybe they were fighting,” the other kid said.

“I dunno. I thought they looked pretty cozy, whispering to each other over their copies of _The Great Gatsby_ ,” the first kid said as he proceeded to making kissing noises.

Clementine felt her heart sink for some reason, and she was so distracted that she ran into Ruby as she stopped at her locker.

“Whoa there, Clementine,” Ruby exclaimed, sounding like she was talking to a horse, “You forget how to walk?”

“Sorry, I guess I stopped paying attention,” Clementine confessed with a shrug.

“Thinkin’ about that boy, Gabe, again?” Ruby asked, giving her a sidelong glance.

She and Ruby had had a study session on Sunday, and Ruby had noticed she was a little down. Even after having such a fun time with Louis on Saturday, she’d still been bummed that Gabe had started dating someone. Ruby had pressed her for details until she’d finally caved and told her everything. It felt good to finally have someone to talk to about her old life a little bit.

Ruby had been surprisingly sympathetic, telling her that she was allowed to be sad, but only for a little while. “Then ya need to move on! If he can’t see what he’s missin’ then good riddance!” were her exact words, which had made Clementine laugh.

“Uh, yeah,” she lied. For some reason she didn’t think Ruby needed to know it was actually Louis that had her distracted, especially when she didn’t understand it herself.

“I told ya that ya need to move on!” Ruby sighed, obviously exasperated as she shut her locker with a snap, “No need to pine over someone who clearly can’t see a good woman when she’s right in front of him!”

“Technically I’m no longer right in front of him,” Clementine remarked as they walked down the hall together. Though their classes were different in second period, they were close together.

“But you were! For years and years!” Ruby exclaimed with a roll of her eyes, “He had plenty of chances.”

“Don’t remind me,” Clementine moped. _Now_ she was distracted by sad thoughts about Gabe.

Ruby stopped in front of her and put her hands on Clementine’s shoulders, saying, “Clem. I told you that you were allowed to be sad about it, but only for a little while. Now a little while has passed. It’s time to find someone else to get hung up on.”

“Like who?” Clementine asked, as she raised a brow at Ruby. For some reason, Louis popped into her mind, but she dismissed the notion quickly. No need to set herself up for disappointment again.

“I dunno! I gotta get to class. Just think about it, Clem!” Ruby said, ducking through a doorway.

Clementine went to her own class, wondering who it was that she could get hung up on. Maybe it would be easier if she didn’t have a crush on anyone. It certainly seemed that way. Every time she checked Gabe’s post and saw how many people had liked it and all the comments that said “Finally!” and “U 2 belong together!” she’d gotten a little more depressed. If this was how all crushes ended, then she didn’t need to bother with them anymore.

* * *

Once the school day was over, Sophie caught up with Louis, insisting that he take her to her house, since he was coming over anyway.

“Should I wait for Minnie and Vi?” Louis asked as he unlocked his car.

“Nope. They said they wanted to take the bus,” Sophie said with a shrug as she slid easily into his front seat.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Louis replied as he got into the driver’s seat.

“Minnie said she and Vi were going to go out anyway,” Sophie told him pointedly.

Louis only shrugged in response and started to drive towards Sophie and Minnie’s house. Ever since his Saturday with Clementine, it seemed like Sophie was moodier than usual. She hardly spoke to him, and when she did it was in short, irritated sentences. Today was the nicest she’d been so far, and he was starting to wonder if something more was going on with her. He wanted to ask, but had kept his mouth shut for fear of getting his head bitten off.

Once they arrived to her house, she led him up to her room, which was incredibly pink. There were pink walls, a pink bedspread, pink pillows, and a pink chair. It usually fit her bubbly personality to a T. However, with the way she’d been acting lately, he thought she should maybe repaint it red or black since it would match her mood better.

“So, what’s your big master plan this time?” Louis asked as he plopped down in her chair.

Sophie sat cross-legged on her bed and said, “I don’t know. That’s why I wanted you to come over, so we could brainstorm.”

“Okay…” Louis said, sighing as he tried to come up with something, “Maybe I should take her to dinner.”

“You mean like a date? Great plan, genius,” Sophie said with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, I don’t see you coming up with anything,” Louis retorted with a scowl.

“It’s not like you’ve even given me a chance yet,” Sophie shot back, returning his glare, “But you obviously should, since you clearly can’t think of a good idea yourself.”

Louis just shook his head and stood up, grabbing his bag as he said, “Look, I don’t know what your deal is lately, but I don’t wanna hang around here if all you’re going to do is pick at me. I’ll talk to you later.”

He headed out the door, even though she called after to him to wait. There was just something about the way she was talking to him that reminded him of his dad. It was the subtle condescension from this morning, mixed with her strange irritation with him now that really did it. He had enough of that at home. He didn’t need it from his friends either.

When he got into his car, he texted Marlon and asked if he could come over.

**Mars-Bar** **[16:10]:** _Sure thing dude! My dad just bought a new case of beer._

**Louis [16:11]:** _Marlon. It’s_ _Wednesday_ _._

**Mars-Bar [16:12]:** _So?_

Louis just rolled his eyes and drove in the direction of Marlon’s house. So far he hadn’t told anyone that he and Sophie were working together to win Clementine over. Maybe he’d have been better off with Marlon after all. He was actually Louis’s best friend, and the person who knew him better than anyone. If there was a single person who could help him play to his strengths to get Clementine to fall for him, it would be Marlon.

When he arrived, he walked right through the front door, waving at Marlon’s dad who was watching TV on the couch. Marlon’s mom greeted him warmly from the kitchen where she looked to be making dinner. Both of Marlon’s parents treated him like a second son, something for which he was grateful.

Once he made it up the stairs, he saw Marlon’s door ajar and headed inside. His friend was sitting on a bean bag chair on the floor of his room, playing video games on his shitty old tube TV. He had an open beer on the floor next to him, and another one sitting beside that one, unopened.

“Hey dude,” Louis said, sitting on the floor next to Marlon.

“What’s up, man?” Marlon said, trying to hand him the extra beer, “Your dad giving you hell again?”

“I’m good,” Louis said, refusing the beverage, “And no, I haven’t even been home yet.”

“Ah. I bet I know why you’re here,” Marlon said as he paused his game and turned to look at Louis, “You finally want my help with Clementine. I knew you’d come around eventually, bro.”

Louis chuckled a little and said, “Well, you did manage to get Brody to like you, so I guess you might know something about girls.”

“Dude, I know everything about chicks,” Marlon replied, turning the console off so he could give Louis his full attention.

“That seems like a stretch,” Louis said with a laugh.

“Hey! Do you want my help or not?”

Louis considered his question. Did he really need help anymore? He and Clementine had had a great day on Saturday. They’d hung out, gotten to know each other, had fun. She’d even given him her number and asked for his in return. Maybe he’d been a little unsure of himself in the beginning, but now? Now he felt like he could handle this.

_Can you really?_ the small, doubting voice that sounded just like his father’s asked him suddenly. _When have you ever been able to handle anything on your own?_

Louis sighed and said, “Yeah, man. For sure.”

Marlon, who had known him since elementary school, noticed his lack of enthusiasm and said, “Dude. Everything all right?”

He quickly pasted on a happy smile and said, “Of course! Now, let’s hurry up and get to planning. We don’t have all night!”

Marlon only raised a brow at him, but didn’t press him further. Louis knew that Marlon had probably seen through his fake smile, but was grateful that his friend was willing to let it go. Instead, Marlon asked him what kind of progress he’d made so far, which gave Louis the opportunity to gush about Saturday. So far the only person he’d told was Sophie, and that was only because she’d asked him. He’d been dying to tell other people, but hadn’t had a chance to hang out with Marlon alone since it had happened.

Louis rambled non-stop for twenty minutes about how awesome everything was, and how cute Clem was, and how she’d grabbed his hand at the movies, and how she’d bought him coffee and—

“Louis. I think I get the picture,” Marlon interrupted as he finished off his second beer.

“I don’t think you do,” Louis said, taking a deep breath to continue talking.

“No, I do,” Marlon said, holding up a hand, a smile on his face, “You’ve obviously got it bad for Clementine. The good news is, she seems to like you, too.”

“Ha. Right. I fucking wish,” Louis said with a sigh.

“Why would she hang out with you if she didn’t at least like you a little?” Marlon asked shaking his head.

“I don’t know! Maybe she was bored! Or maybe she fell and hit her head before I got there and she wasn’t thinking straight!” Louis exclaimed.

“Or maybe you need to get over yourself and admit there’s a possibility that something could actually happen between the two of you,” Marlon told him, giving him an exasperated look.

Even though Louis had talked a big game, he hadn’t really wrapped his head around the concept that she could return his feelings. This was Louis’s first crush, and he’d been so focused on how smitten he was with her that he’d been ignoring his fear of her not liking him back. Every time someone brought it up, he shot them down before he could get his hopes up. It was a defense mechanism, and even if it would help him protect his feelings, Louis knew it would stop him from really putting himself out there. He needed to let go of his insecurities and embrace the hope that she might fall for him, too if he wanted it to ever actually happen.

“You’re right,” Louis finally said, a weary smile on his face, “I just need to go for it.”

“Fuck yeah! Now you’re talking!” Marlon said excitedly, “Ask her out right now!”

“No! I still want to take things slow,” Louis said, not ready to just dive right in, “I’ll just ask her to hang out again. No pressure, nothing romantic.”

“If you insist…” Marlon said, trailing off.

“I do,” Louis stated firmly. He’d never dated anyone before, and he had a feeling she hadn’t either. The last thing he wanted was to dive into the deep end when he hadn’t even made it out of the kiddie pool yet.

“You should ask her to go with you to hang out with us on Halloween,” Marlon suggested, “Should be low pressure enough. Plus she might wear something sexy.”

Louis groaned and said, “I’ll thank you not to say shit like that about Clementine. But that’s actually a good idea, which is strange coming from you.”

“Fuck off, dude,” Marlon said with a laugh, “You’ll be thanking me when Clem’s your girlfriend by November 1st.”

Louis rolled his eyes, but wondered if Marlon was right. After all, there would be lots of opportunities to wander around in the dark together. Who knew what might happen?

* * *

Once the door to her house slammed shut, Sophie flung herself into her pillows and started to cry. Ever since Saturday she’d been in a terrible mood. Louis had texted her that night, after which she’d called him immediately to get all the details. He’d bored her for 45 minutes straight talking about how amazing Clementine was and how much fun they’d had. It had taken all her willpower not to tell him to shut up about her already.

When she’d come up with her little scheme, she’d thought for sure it would work, but apparently it had completely backfired instead. Sophie had hoped that hanging out with Clementine would give Louis a chance to see how annoying she really was. If he had to spend the day trying and failing to make conversation with her, he’d finally get over his stupid little crush.

It seemed it had only made him like her more instead.

And then today when he’d told her in English class that he didn’t need her help anymore, she’d panicked and said something mean to him. It had been the first thing she could think to do in order to keep him wanting her help. If he felt like he didn’t need her anymore, then she’d have even less chances to make him fall for her.

Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control, and today was the last straw. She’d pushed Louis too far, and now it was all ruined. He’d probably never talk to her again, much less fall in love with her. Why was this all happening to her?

“Sophie?” came a concerned voice from the door to her room.

When she raised her head, she saw that it was Minnie and started crying harder. If there was anyone she could vent to, it was her sister.

“Oh my god, Soph. What’s wrong?!” Minnie exclaimed at the sight of her face, dropping her bag and rushing over to sit by her on the bed.

“Everything!” Sophie wailed as she tried to scrub the mascara from her cheeks.

Minnie’s brows shot up as she said, “Okay…Well, why don’t you start by taking some deep breaths. Then tell me the worst thing and we’ll work our way down from there.”

Sophie tried to calm herself as she sat up and drew her knees to her chest. Once the worst of her sobs had subsided she looked at Minnie and said, “I’m ruining everything.”

“How are you ruining everything?” Minnie asked, her head cocking to the side.

“I…I have a crush on someone,” Sophie admitted, her cheeks flushing.

“Seriously?! Who?”

“Louis,” Sophie sighed, tears welling in her eyes again.

“Ha ha, very funny Soph. Tell me who it really is,” Minnie said with a shake of her head.

“It really is Louis,” Sophie told her, which caused Minnie’s eyes to widen. From there she launched into the long explanation of how her crush developed, how long she’d liked him, and how upset she was now that he liked Clementine. She finished everything off with her plan to make Louis fall for her instead, ending the rant by saying, “And I just can’t stop being mean to him and now I don’t know what to do!”

“Wow. That’s a lot. And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Minnie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I just didn’t want you to make fun of me,” Sophie said with a shrug.

“I wouldn’t have made fun of you,” Minnie said softly, wrapping a comforting arm around Sophie’s shoulders, “I would have tried to help you out.”

“Well, help me now then,” Sophie grumbled, leaning her head on Minnie’s shoulder, “What should I do?”

“Well, first, you should apologize to Louis. He has no idea how you feel, so he probably doesn’t understand why you’re being a dick to him all of a sudden,” Minnie stated, “Then, I think you need to try to get over him.”

“What?!” Sophie exclaimed, ripping out of Minnie’s embrace and scowling at her sister.

Minnie’s eyes were sad as she said, “Look, Soph, I think if he was ever going to fall for you, it would have happened by now. And it’s obvious to basically everyone—except Clementine—that he’s totally smitten with her. You’re only hurting yourself by holding out hope that maybe he’ll change his mind.”

“Now you’re the one who’s being mean!” Sophie cried, throwing herself into her pillows once more, only to have Minnie grab her by the shoulders and pull her up again.

“I’m not being mean. I’m being honest,” Minnie said, looking her square in the eye, “You deserve someone who sees you. Someone who falls for you the way Louis did for Clem. He’s not the guy for you, Sophie. I know the right one is out there for you somewhere. So, you need to let Louis go. For your own sake.”

Sophie wanted to argue, but deep down she knew that Minnie was right. In the back of her mind she thought that if she wore the right clothes, or did her make up the right way, or cracked the right jokes, that somehow he’d finally notice her. But Louis hadn’t noticed her. He’d noticed Clementine.

“God, why are you right all the time?” Sophie pouted.

“Because I’m older,” Minnie said with a smug smile, “Now come on. Let’s have some hot cocoa and watch a shitty movie on Netflix to cheer you up.”

“You’re only older by one minute!” Sophie exclaimed as she and Minnie locked arms and made their way down to the living room.

They continued to bicker while Minnie got out the mugs and started to boil some water, but Sophie’s mind was elsewhere, focused on what she would say to Louis tomorrow instead. She could only hope he’d forgive her.

* * *

The next day, Louis was headed to the lunchroom to ask Clementine to come out with them on Halloween, when Ruby stomped in front of him and said, “What the hell, Louis?”

“Whoa! What the hell to you, too, Ruby,” he replied, putting his hands up defensively.

“I tried to get yer attention yesterday and ya damn well ignored me!” she yelled, her hands on her hips as she scowled up at him.

He thought back to the prior day, and remembered that Ruby had, in fact, been waving at him frantically from across the lunchroom. He’d only waved back in response, having thought nothing of it. He’d also been particularly hungry, and wasn’t going to let anything stand in between him and his spicy chicken sandwich.

“Oh. So you weren’t just happy to see me?” Louis asked with a grin.

“No, I wasn’t! I was tryin’ to tell ya somethin’ privately. It’s about Clem,” Ruby told him, her expression grim.

“What? Is she hurt? Did she get in a car crash? A bus accident?” Louis asked, immediately assuming that she’d died, only to be proven wrong seconds later when he saw her going through the line.

“My god. Enough with the melodramatics!” Ruby interrupted with an impatient shake of her head, “It’s nothin’ like that. You remember when we were playin’ truth or dare and you asked her if she left someone behind in Georgia?”

Louis nodded and began to get the feeling that he wasn’t going to like what she was going to say next.

“Well, she did. His name’s Gabe. I guess she was pretty sweet on him, until now. He’s up and gotten himself a girlfriend, and Clem ain’t too happy about it,” Ruby explained, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Goddamn it,” Louis swore, pissed at himself for getting his hopes up. He’d known all along that Clementine would never return his feelings. He should have listened to his better instincts.

“Look, I’m not tellin’ you this so that you’ll give up on her, Lou. I’m tellin’ you this because you need to take things slow for a while,” Ruby said, reaching out and giving him a sympathetic pat on the arm, “You don’t want to be her rebound. Give her some time to get over this Gabe asshole, or else you might not be anythin’ more to her than a steppin’ stone to someone else.”

Louis nodded and said, “Well, thanks for the heads up anyway.”

As he followed her towards the line, someone’s hand caught his sleeve, yanking him to a stop.

“Can’t a guy get some lunch around here?!” he exclaimed, whirling around to find that it was Sophie who had stopped him this time.

“Hey,” she said, her eyes downcast as she shuffled her feet.

“Hey,” Louis replied, unsure if she was still in the same mood she had been yesterday.

“Look, I’m sorry about yesterday, okay?” Sophie told him, finally meeting his gaze, “I’ve just been dealing with some stuff lately, and I took it out on you. You don’t deserve that, and I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Soph,” Louis said, reaching out and giving her a quick hug, “Don’t worry about it, all right? We’re cool. Just talk to me next time, okay? What’s going on anyway?”

“Um…I already talked to Minnie about it. It’s personal. Girl stuff. You wouldn’t understand,” Sophie said as they started walking together towards the lunch line.

“Ohhh, I get it. Like, period stuff, right?” Louis asked innocently, which earned him a smack on the shoulder.

“No! God, what is it with boys and always thinking everything’s about periods?” Sophie scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, I can’t think of any other girl stuff that I wouldn’t understand,” Louis replied as he picked up a tray.

“Look, just trust me on this one, okay? Anyway, how are things going with Clementine?”

“Keep it down, would you? She could be anywhere!” Louis said, looking around frantically, hoping she wasn’t still in line.

“She’s at the lunch table, dummy,” Sophie said, pointing across the lunch room.

“Oh.”

“But fine. How are things going with _you-know-who_?”

“Now it sounds like I have a thing for Voldemort.”

“Would you just answer the question?”

“Oh. Yeah, I talked to Marlon last night, and he said I should ask her to go trick-or-treating with us,” Louis explained with a shrug, “It’s not exactly the height of romance, but there’ll be long walks in the moonlight and stars in the sky, so that’s something, right?”

“Right,” Sophie said with a nod, “Plus, we could conveniently ditch you two. Give you a chance to hang out alone some more.”

“We’ll see. I don’t want her to think I’m some perv trying to get her alone in the dark,” Louis said as they paid for their lunch.

“Just don’t act like a perv, and she won’t think you’re a perv,” Sophie stated with a shrug, “Anyway, whatever happens, just keep me in the loop, okay? I still want to be your wingman.”

“You got it,” Louis said, flashing her a thumbs up as they made their way to the table, where everyone was laughing about something.


	10. Chapter 10

As soon as Clementine sat down, she noticed Louis and Sophie standing together across the lunchroom. The moment her eyes fell on them, she saw Louis reach out and give Sophie a hug, followed by the two of them walking to the lunch line together. She was trying to figure out whether or not they were holding hands when Ruby sat down in front of her, startling her.

“Howdy, Clem,” Ruby said, seeming not to notice Clementine’s reaction.

“Hey, Ruby,” Clem replied as she peered around Ruby’s shoulder only to find that she’d lost them.

Ruby finally noticed she didn’t have Clem’s full attention and glanced over her shoulder, asking, “What’cha lookin’ for, Clem? Finally got your eye on someone that’s not Gabe?”

“What? No!” Clementine said quickly, her face flushing as her head snapped back to look at Ruby.

“Then why are ya blushin’?” Ruby asked, a mischievous grin on her face.

“I am not!” Clem insisted, feeling her cheeks to find that they were in fact, hot.

“Brody, tell her she’s blushin’,” Ruby said when the auburn haired girl joined them at the table. Marlon had thankfully not appeared yet.

Brody studied her face, her head tilted to the side as she said, “What’s wrong, Clem? You got a fever or something?”

“I. Am not. Blushing.” Clementine stated emphatically.

“Yeah you are,” Violet said, as she and Minnie appeared together, sitting across from her next to Ruby, “What’s up? See someone you wanna fuck?”

“Who’s fucking?” Marlon asked, sitting next to Brody.

“Nobody!” Clem yelled, the conversation quickly getting away from her.

“We’re just trying to figure out what’s got Clem so red in the face,” Ruby explained, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Ooh, does Clem _like_ somebody?” Marlon said, grinning at her.

“Nope. I actually _hate_ everybody at the moment,” Clementine replied, feeling more like Violet than herself as she stabbed into a tater tot on her tray and shoved it into her mouth.

Her response caused everyone to laugh, which was the precise moment Louis and Sophie showed up, the former asking, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing!” Clementine asserted quickly, scowling at everyone, “Absolutely nothing funny is happening right now.”

Blessedly, everyone seemed to take the hint to drop it, and Clementine was able to eat her lunch in relative peace. Eventually, Ruby casually asked if anyone had seen Aasim, to which Omar replied that he thought Aasim might be sick. Clementine smiled to herself as she thought about how transparent Ruby’s crush on Aasim was. She wondered if he liked her, too. He didn’t talk much at lunch, instead preferring to read while he ate. It seemed strange, since it would probably be easier to read in the library. Maybe he chose to sit here since Ruby seemed to like eating with everyone else, and he liked eating with Ruby. And, the only person he usually talked to was Ruby. The most anyone else could get out of him were one or two word sentences.

“Well, maybe I should check on him after school. Bring him some chicken soup or somethin’” Ruby said, her own cheeks turning pink. Though now would be a good time for some payback, Clementine chose to remain silent.

Ruby quickly added, “Any of you wanna come with me?”

Clementine observed everyone in the group, and saw them all glance at each other knowingly. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who had picked up on Ruby’s little crush. Eventually, everyone agreed that Ruby should go alone.

“I’m sure whatever he has is contagious, and I don’t want to be sick, especially so close to Halloween!” Violet said.

“Yeah, plus, he probably doesn’t want a lot of visitors if he doesn’t feel good. I’m sure he’ll be happier to just see you,” Brody said, smiling encouragingly.

“Ya think so?” Ruby asked hopefully, her cheeks getting redder.

“For sure,” Brody replied with an affirming nod.

Once that was settled, the bell rang, causing everyone to stand and proceed towards their classes. As they scattered, Clementine’s thoughts drifted back to Sophie and Louis and what she’d seen at the beginning of the lunch period. Apparently they’d made up after whatever fight they’d had yesterday. She had a feeling they were probably going to start dating soon, a thought which made her heart squeeze uncomfortably.

Suddenly, from behind her, she heard Louis’s voice call, “Clem! Wait up!”

Clementine turned, half expecting to see Sophie with him, only to find he was alone as he jogged up to her.

“Hey,” he said, smiling down at her when he reached her.

“Hey,” she replied, returning his smile in spite of herself.

“So, I don’t know if you heard, but Halloween is coming up,” Louis began.

“Yeah, it kind of comes around every year,” Clementine joked, her smile turning to a smirk.

“You got me there,” Louis admitted with a good natured chuckle, “Anyway, I don’t know if you ever do anything to celebrate, but we always go out trick-or-treating. You wanna come?”

“Trick-or-treating? Aren’t you guys too old for that?” Clem asked, her brow arched up.

“Maybe, but it’s tradition. We’ve gone together every year since we were kids. Plus, it’s fun! I promise, you’ll have a really good time. And if you don’t, you can hold me personally responsible,” Louis said with a wink.

Even though it sounded kind of childish, Clem figured she probably would have fun. After all, Louis would be there, and he was more than enough fun for everyone.

“I’m in,” Clem finally agreed, flashing him a thumbs up.

“Hell yeah!” Louis whooped, adding, “You won’t regret it! See you later!”

With that, he was off to his next class, leaving her staring after him down the hall. The sound of the bell ringing reminded her that she, too, needed to get to class, and she sprinted off in that direction. She spent most of the lesson thinking about what she would wear, and resolved to go shopping for a costume this weekend.

When Friday rolled around, Clementine asked Lee if she could borrow the car to go shopping for costumes.

“I might need to go out of town,” Clementine added when Lee raised a brow at her over his newspaper.

“Aren’t you a little old for costumes?” Lee asked her, folding the paper and setting it in his lap.

“My friends invited me to hang out on Halloween and told me I should dress up,” Clem said, playing with the hem of her shirt.

Lee thought about it for a moment, then said, “All right. But only if you take AJ with you.”

“Seriously?” Clementine exclaimed. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with her little brother, but he could be a bit rambunctious at times. Keeping track of him in public was a difficult task, and she didn’t want to run the risk of losing him since she’d be on her own.

“Well, he needs a costume, too. With the move and getting settled in at school, I completely forgot to take him out shopping,” Lee told her, scratching the back of his neck, “I’d come, too, but I have faculty meetings all day. It would really help me out, Clementine.”

Clementine sighed and said, “Fine. Do you need me to drop you off for your meetings?”

“Nah, I’ll just ask Carley to pick me up,” Lee replied, picking his paper back up to begin reading it again.

When Clementine told AJ the good news, he jumped up and down excitedly, which made her feel a little guilty for not wanting to bring him along. After all, she hadn’t been spending as much time with him recently, and Clem could tell that he missed her. Back in Georgia she always set aside at least a couple nights a week to play games with him, because he had had a hard time making friends. Now that he had Tenn, she didn’t think she had to make as much time for him, especially since she was busy with her own friends. Based on his reaction, that was evidently not the case, and she resolved to make sure they hung out at least once a week, if not more.

The next day, Clementine ushered AJ to the car, opening the door to the back seat so that he could climb in.

“Awww, Clem,” he whined, “I want to sit in front.”

“Sorry, bud. You’re not old enough yet,” Clementine replied, gently pushing him towards the open door, “Give it a couple years.”

“But that’s so long,” AJ said, sliding onto the seat and buckling himself in.

“It’ll fly by before you know it,” Clementine told him, thinking about how it felt like just yesterday that she’d been in elementary school.

Once he was properly situated, Clem moved around the car and got into the driver’s seat. As with every time she had to drive, Clementine felt her nerves spike. Being a passenger was one thing, but being a driver was a little more difficult. After all, if anything went wrong, she’d be the one to blame.

Rather than start driving immediately, Clementine took a few calming breaths, just as her therapist back in Georgia had taught her. She told herself that nothing bad would happen, that she was a competent driver, and that she was in control. Though the mantra helped calm her some, it didn’t completely take her off edge.

When she put the keys in the ignition, she glanced in the rear-view mirror and noticed there was now a car parked behind her. The driver was a woman who looked about Lee’s age, with shoulder-length dark hair and a pretty smile. She was directing that smile at Lee, who waved at her as he made his way down the walk of their house. Clem guessed this must be Carley.

“Are we ever gonna go?” AJ said from the back seat, reminding her that they were on a mission.

“Yeah. Sorry, goofball. I just needed a minute,” Clem apologized as she started the car.

“‘Cause of the accident?” he asked innocently. Though she’d never gone into detail about it with him, he’d seen her have a panic attack before, and Lee had to explain what trauma was and why Clementine had it.

“Yeah, because of the accident,” she confirmed, giving him a nod.

“Sometimes when I feel scared, I tell myself a story,” AJ supplied helpfully, “Do you want me to tell you a story, Clem?”

“Why don’t you tell me what you want to be for Halloween this year?” Clem asked, glancing at him in the rear-view mirror.

His eyes lit up as he said, “I want to be Disco Broccoli!”

That was his latest cartoon obsession. Ever since it showed up on Netflix, he’d managed to watch every episode twice, even though Lee restricted his TV time. Though she’d only seen bits and pieces, it appeared to be a show about musical vegetables.

“Tenn said he would be Beet Nick,” AJ continued on, “You could be Calypso Cauliflower if you wanted.”

“We’ll see, bud,” Clem laughed, though she had no intention of going as a character from a kid’s show. Truth be told, she had no idea what she wanted to be. She hadn’t picked out a costume since she was 12 or 13. She couldn’t even remember what she’d gone as the last time she’d dressed up.

When they arrived at the store, Clementine let AJ out of the car and instructed him not to go too far from her. However, rather than listening, AJ bolted for the doors immediately, causing Clem to roll her eyes. Apparently this day was going to go just as she expected, and she sighed heavily as she chased after him.

“Hey, I said stay close to me,” Clementine scolded as she reached for his hand.

“I don’t want to hold hands,” AJ pouted, dodging her quickly, “I’m too old for that now.”

“Then stick with me, and you won’t have to. Deal?”

She stuck out her hand for him to shake it, and he took it, nodding and saying, “Deal.”

Once they entered the store, AJ made a beeline for the kids’ costumes, though this time he was more cautious about not going too far from her. If there was one thing AJ hated, it was being treated like a baby, so Clem knew that he’d make good on their deal. She still kept her eye on him, however, just to make sure he didn’t stray too much.

The minute AJ saw what he was looking for, he yelled, “There it is, Clem! Disco Broccoli!”

The plastic bag contained a white leisure suit, a purple shirt with a large, gold medallion, purple sunglasses, and an enormous green wig.

“Is this really what you want to be for Halloween?” Clementine asked as she stared at the outfit.

“Yeah! It’s so cool! I’ve even been practicing my disco dancing,” AJ gushed, striking a quick pose before doing a spin.

“Whoa, looks like someone’s got some sick moves!” came a familiar voice from behind her.

Clementine whirled around and came face-to-face with none other than Louis. He had a costume bag and receipt in one of the hands that rested on his hips, and he was grinning down at AJ.

AJ, on the other hand, immediately went on the defensive, moving closer to Clem as he said, “We don’t talk to strangers.”

Louis only laughed and said, “Well, there’s no one stranger than me, little man.”

“I’m not a little man. I’m a big man!” AJ shot back, though he was still hiding behind Clem.

“Hey, AJ, it’s okay. This is a friend of mine,” Clementine told him, putting her hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

AJ looked up at her and whispered loudly, “Are you sure? He seems weird, Clem.”

His comment made Louis burst into laughter, while Clem immediately flushed with embarrassment. She really needed to work on AJ’s manners, especially around strangers.

“AJ! That wasn’t very nice,” Clementine scolded as she willed her blush to disappear.

“Clem, it’s totally fine,” Louis reassured her as he wiped a tear from his eye, “I like a kid with some spunk. What’s your name, little dude?”

“I’m AJ. It’s short for Alvin Jr.”

“Nice to meet you, AJ. I’m Louis,” he said, extending his hand for AJ to shake it.

Clementine held her breath as she waited for AJ to accept the handshake. There was a 50/50 chance that he would reject Louis’s offer, and that would mean it would take AJ a long time for him to get used to her friend. Her little brother usually went with his gut when it came to new people, and he didn’t often change his opinion on anyone for a long time. She hoped he’d grow out of that eventually.

Thankfully, AJ reached out and tentatively took Louis’s hand, shaking it cautiously as he replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Louis.”

“You picked out a pretty cool costume, AJ,” Louis said once they stopped shaking hands, “Disco Broccoli is awesome.”

“Yeah! He’s so awesome!” AJ exclaimed with a grin, then turned to Clementine and said, “Clem, he likes Disco Broccoli! You didn’t tell me you had a cool friend.”

“From weird to cool in thirty seconds. That’s gotta be a new record for me,” Louis said to Clem with a wink.

Clementine rolled her eyes and said, “AJ, we should probably let Louis get back to whatever he was doing.”

“But Clem, he could help me with my dance moves,” AJ whined, “Can he please stay a little longer?”

“I’m sure Louis has other things he needs to do today,” Clementine said, turning to Louis and asking, “Don’t you, Louis?”

“Nope,” Louis replied with a grin, “My schedule’s wide open. Except for the appointment I have with AJ to teach him some more Disco Broccoli moves, of course.”

“Yay!” AJ exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

“Why don’t you show me what you already know, then I can show you the moves that I know. Sound good?” Louis asked.

“Yeah!” AJ said enthusiastically.

“Maybe you should take it out side,” Clem suggested, gesturing to the door, “You can do that while I look for something to wear. I’ll hold onto your costume, AJ.”

“Okay!” AJ said, shoving the bag towards her before running towards the door.

“I’ll make sure to take good care of him,” Louis said with a wave as he took off after AJ.

Clem smiled in spite of herself, amazed at how quickly AJ had warmed up to Louis. It usually took her brother quite a while to get used to anybody, but there seemed to be something about Louis that put people at ease. She watched them through the window, chuckling at how ridiculous they looked. Still, she was grateful that Louis was willing to spend time with her little brother. It certainly wasn’t his job to play babysitter, yet he seemed happy to do so.

A moment later, Louis glanced her direction and caught her staring. When their eyes locked, he flashed her his signature grin, which made her heart flutter. She responded with a small wave before turning away and heading deeper into the store.

Eventually she made it to the young adult costumes and stood there contemplating her options. Most of the ones in front of her were generic: vampire, witch, cheerleader, angel, devil. All too boring or too revealing for her taste. Then again, it probably didn’t matter what she wore. She was only dressing up so that she wouldn’t be the odd person out.

As her eyes scanned the racks, they suddenly landed on a costume she’d never even considered. She went to it, grabbing the bag that contained a peach colored uniform from her favorite movie. Though she was hesitant to wear a dress, she knew in her heart that this was the right costume.

With the decision made, Clem made her way to the register to pay for hers and AJ’s costumes, then went outside to see if AJ and Louis were still making fools of themselves.

“Yeah! Now you’re getting it!” Louis cheered as he oversaw AJ doing what she could only assume were some of Disco Broccoli’s signature moves.

“I think that’s enough with the dance lessons for today,” Clem said when she joined them.

“That’s fine. Louis said if I did a good job he’d buy me ice cream,” AJ told her with a shrug.

Clementine turned to him and raised a brow, saying, “Oh really?”

“It’ll be my treat. If it’s okay with you, that is,” Louis said sheepishly, a smile playing at his lips.

“Fine. But only because ice cream actually sounds pretty good right now,” Clem said, adding, “Should we meet you there?”

“You should let Louis drive, Clem. It’ll be easier for you,” AJ said, pointing at the his bright orange car.

“We don’t want to impose on him anymore than we already have.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem!” Louis interjected, “I could drive you there then drop you off back here. Piece of cake. Besides, it was my idea.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! Now come on! If we wait too long the ice cream will melt!” Louis said, ushering her to the car with AJ running alongside them.

“I don’t think that’s how that works,” Clem chuckled as she got AJ buckled into the back seat.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Louis told her with a wink when she got into the passenger seat.

And then they were off, cruising down the road to the nearest ice cream place. AJ chattered excitedly about which flavors he wanted, and Clementine was surprised to find Louis responding to him easily. It made her wonder if he had any younger siblings of his own.

Once they got to their destination, she decided to ask him if that was the case.

“Huh? No, I’m an only child. Can’t you tell by my spoiled attitude and acute narcissism?” Louis said with a smirk.

“Oh.”

“Why? Worried there are more of me?” Louis joked.

“No, you’re just…really good with AJ,” Clementine admitted, “He’s not usually so quick to warm up to people. And you’re being really patient with him.” Unlike one of her other friends back home. Gabe did his best, but Clem could tell he found AJ annoying. It was the only reason she’d been hesitant to date him if he would have ever asked her out.

Louis’s brows shot up and he said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m having a great time. AJ’s one cool little dude.”

“I know. He can just be…a bit much for some people. I guess I’m just saying I appreciate how nice you’re being,” Clem told him shyly as she looked up at him through her lashes.

“Hey, if anyone knows anything about being ‘a bit much’ for people, it’s me,” Louis said, adding, “Besides, AJ’s a great kid, so there’s no need to thank me.”

Before Clementine could respond, it was their turn to order. AJ naturally picked out something that was loaded with sugar and came with a number of toppings. Louis got something that was similarly over the top, and Clem ordered a simple banana split.

When they sat down, AJ dug into his treat eagerly. Clem raised a brow and said, “AJ, what should you say to Louis?”

“Thank you,” AJ said around a mouthful of ice cream, which brought a smile to Clementine’s face.

“No problem, little dude,” Louis said as he ate his own ice cream, “What’re friends for?”

AJ looked at Louis and said, “I thought you were Clem’s boyfriend.”

Clementine nearly choked on her ice cream, her face turning beet red as she said, “AJ!”

“What? Louis is nice. If he’s not your boyfriend, he probably should be.”

“What do you know about boyfriends and girlfriends anyway?” Clem asked, her brow raised. AJ was still in grade school, and she had no idea that he had even an inkling of what romance was.

AJ thought about it for a moment then said, “I know boyfriends and girlfriends hold hands and stuff. It’s like having a best friend but different.”

“Well, when I have a boyfriend, you’ll be the first to know, okay goofball?” Clementine promised.

She snuck a sidelong glance at Louis and wondered what he was thinking. Currently he was staring deeply into his ice cream, his expression abnormally serious. AJ had probably embarrassed him, and now he was trying to figure out how to run away as fast as possible.

“So, do you have any big plans today?” Clementine asked him in an effort to change the subject.

“Nah. Just preparing for Halloween. And doing my homework for the first time this year,” Louis chuckled.

“Seriously?” Clem said, her brows shooting up.

“I’m just kidding,” he told her, “It’ll be the _second_ time this year.”

Clementine rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever. If you’re not careful you’re going to wind up missing graduation because you failed a class.”

“I’ve gotten lucky so far,” Louis said with a shrug, “Besides, Cs get degrees. And so do Ds.”

“Is that true, Clem?” AJ asked looking back and forth between her and Louis.

Clementine debated lying, but decided to tell him the truth, saying, “Yes, but it’s still important to try your best in school. Just think about how disappointed Lee would be if your grades dropped.”

“Lee?” Louis asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Our adoptive dad,” Clem told him.

“Oh. I didn’t know AJ was adopted, too,” Louis said.

“Dad adopted me when I was too young to remember. I don’t know what happened to my parents, just that they loved me very much,” AJ stated matter-of-factly.

Clementine knew, but Lee had forbidden her from saying anything. It would be easier to tell him when he was older. For now, all he needed to know was that they cared about him deeply and would have done anything to protect him. Including keeping the details of their fates from him until he could fully understand what had happened.

She could tell Louis was staring at her, but refused to meet his gaze, instead saying, “This ice cream is so good, isn’t it AJ?”

“Yeah! I love sprinkles,” AJ said happily as he went back to eating.

They spent the rest of their time chatting back and forth until they eventually finished. When they headed out to the car, she could tell Louis had something on his mind. She suspected he wanted to know what happened to AJ’s parents. Or that he wanted to know why AJ didn’t know. She just hoped he wouldn’t ask.

Luckily for her, he didn’t. When he dropped them off, Louis chose to walk them to their car, but didn’t say anything about AJ’s past.

After she’d let AJ say his goodbyes to Louis—which included a goodbye hug, much to her surprise—and gotten her brother situated in the back seat, she went to say her own goodbyes to him.

“Thanks for today,” Clementine said as she lingered at the driver’s side door, “It was really nice.”

“No need to thank me,” Louis reminded her with a grin, “I had a great time. Let me know if AJ needs anymore help with his Disco Broccoli impression. I’d be happy to pencil him in.”

His kindness towards AJ overwhelmed her, and without thinking, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. For a moment she worried she’d overstepped, but then he wrapped his arms around her snugly. As close as she was to him, she could hear his heart thumping a quick beat in his chest. Its pace matched her own, which made her wonder what he was feeling right now.

Clementine realized she’d been hugging him for longer than was probably appropriate, and quickly pulled away from him, saying, “Well, I’ll see you Monday!”

She got into the car before he could respond, starting the engine and backing out of the spot as quickly as she could.

When they were on the road, AJ asked, “Are you sure he’s not your boyfriend?”

“Yes, AJ, I’m sure he’s not my boyfriend,” Clem sighed as she concentrated on the road.

“Then why were you guys hugging for so long?”

“You hugged him, too,” Clementine reminded AJ.

“Yeah, but only for a second. You hugged him for almost a minute,” AJ told her.

“Were you timing us with a stopwatch?”

“No,” AJ admitted.

“Then how do you know it was a minute?” Clementine asked him.

“I guess I don’t,” AJ said, then added, “But it was still a while. And I think he likes you.”

“I doubt that. He has a crush on another girl,” Clementine said, thinking of Sophie.

“Oh. I bet she’s not as cool as you,” AJ shrugged.

Clem paused for a moment, then said, “She’s cool, just in a different way.”

AJ only shrugged again in response, and much to her relief he changed the subject back to trick-or-treating. When they got home, he went off to finish up his weekend homework, and Clementine made her way up to her room. She wanted to get to work on her own homework, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what AJ had said. Why would he think that Louis liked her? It wasn’t like he’d done anything romantic while they’d been hanging out.

Eventually she decided it was just AJ’s overactive imagination, and left it at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update for you folks! I won't be able to post tomorrow, so I thought it would be fun to post the chapter tonight. :) Hopefully you guys enjoyed all the tooth-rotting fluff and ninja family goodness!
> 
> Thanks again to everyone who's been commenting and reading my story! It means a lot.


	11. Chapter 11

When Halloween finally arrived, Clementine was more excited than she thought she’d be. Even though it was just trick-or-treating, everyone was getting her pumped for the evening ahead. They all talked about how fun it was, especially the after party when they all got together at Minnie and Sophie’s house to exchange candy and hang out. That was honestly the part she was looking forward to the most.

On the night of, Clementine slipped into her outfit, hoping it would be warm enough. Then she styled her curly hair into pigtails as best as she could before putting on her signature hat. To top it off, she decided to put on a little bit of makeup and spritz on some perfume that Lee’s mom had gotten her a while ago as a birthday gift. With that, she was ready.

She, Lee, and AJ all piled into the family car to head over to Minnie and Sophie’s. Since AJ and Tenn were going trick-or-treating together, it was decided that everyone should meet up there. The kids would go with Lee and Tenn’s parents, and she would go with Sophie, Minnie, and everyone else. Naturally, they were the first to arrive, so Clementine had to make awkward conversation with Sophie and Minnie while they waited on the rest of the group.

“Oh, cute dress Clementine. I thought you were going to come in costume,” Sophie remarked. She was wearing a black and white wig, as well as a slinky black dress, elbow length gloves, and some fake furs.

“She’s dressed up as someone from _A League of Their Own_ ,” Minnie interjected before Clementine could say anything, “You look great, Clem.”

She held out her hand for a high-five, which Clementine returned as she said, “Thank you. Who are you guys going as?”

“I’m Cruella de Vil, obviously. Jaclyn Hill did a makeup tutorial for it so I just had to,” Sophie gushed, gesturing towards her face, “It turned out really well if I do say so myself.”

“And I’m half of a zombie Oreo. Vi’s my other half,” Minnie said with a smile, fake blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. She was wearing a white t-shirt—with more fake blood spattered on it—and on her back was a round piece of cardboard painted to look like an Oreo. Clementine had thought it was a turtle shell when she’d first seen it, but now that she was closer she noticed the finer details which made it look more like the cookie.

“Zombie Oreo?” Clementine questioned, her brow raised.

Minnie chuckled and said, “It’s a compromise. She wanted to be creepy zombies, I wanted to be an Oreo. This was us meeting in the middle.”

The two girls made a really cute couple, their costume compromise being just the tip of the iceberg. They really were lucky to have found each other, especially so early on in their lives. Most couples wouldn’t make it past high school, but Clementine had a feeling they were bonded for life. She could only hope she would find someone who made her just as happy as they made each other.

Before Clementine could say anything, Louis appeared in the kitchen, with Violet right behind him. He was wearing the brightest purple coat she’d ever seen, along with a white shirt that had ruffles all down the front and sticking out of his sleeves. On his face he’d painted a small mustache and soulpatch, as well as rimming around his eyes with eyeliner. To top it off, he’d hidden his usual dreads underneath a curly black wig.

His outfit, however, wasn’t what had caught her attention. Rather, it was the way he looked at her when he’d entered the room. His eyes had locked on her immediately, widening as he took in her costume. Even his mouth was slightly agape, as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

Clementine felt her cheeks start to warm as she wondered what exactly he was thinking. Her costume couldn’t be that bad, could it?

“Louis,” Minnie said pointedly, “Are you just going to stand there all night, or are you going to say hi?”

Her words seemed to knock him out of his trance, his head doing a small shake before he said, “Sorry. Hi everyone.”

“What are you supposed to be?” Sophie asked, causing the tension in the room to evaporate.

“Are serious? I’m Prince! You know? _Purple Rain_? _Little Red Corvette_? Do you know anything about music?” Louis shot back, adding, “Who are you supposed to be?”

“Cruella de Vil! It’s so obvious!” Sophie exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

“Isn’t she supposed to be old? And evil?” Louis said with a smirk.

“Oh, like Prince isn’t old,” Sophie replied with a roll of her eyes.

As they bantered back and forth, Clementine felt a small spark of jealousy which surprised her. There was a part of her that wanted Louis to be staring at her again, rather than talking to Sophie. She watched the smile that played at his lips, and wished it was for her instead.

Before she could figure out why, more of their friends entered Sophie and Minnie’s kitchen. This time it was Marlon and Brody, the former who was dressed as a character from an 80s themed Netflix show Clementine didn’t watch, and the latter dressed up as someone from YouTube that she didn’t know. Then came Omar, who was dressed up as a celebrity chef in an obnoxious shirt covered in flames.

When Aasim and Ruby finally showed up, the sight of their costumes caused everyone to pause for a moment. Aasim had chosen to dress as Bill Nye, while Ruby had dressed up as Ms. Frizzle. It seemed almost like a couple’s costume, especially when they talked about how they’d decided on what to wear together. Everyone stayed quiet, almost though they were all waiting for something more.

Apparently the silence had stretched too long, because a moment later, Ruby said, “What’re ya’ll starin’ at?” Her cheeks were pink, and Clementine could tell she was starting to get embarrassed.

“Your costumes just look so good,” Clem blurted out, “Did you make them?”

“My mom helped us out,” Ruby replied with a smile, “She sews really well.”

“She did a really great job,” Brody told her encouragingly.

“Yeah, I love all the details on your dress,” Sophie added.

The girls chatted back and forth for a while until Marlon interrupted the conversation, exclaiming “Hello! Why are we all standing here?”

“What? Is it illegal for people to stand around and talk to each other?” Violet asked, her arm wrapped around Minnie’s waist, causing their Oreos to bump together awkwardly.

“No, but it is illegal to waste time when we could be out there getting candy,” Marlon insisted as he headed for the door.

Everyone else fell in step behind him, and once they got to the sidewalk, they all seemed to pair up in twos. Clementine expected that she’d wind up walking next to Omar, but instead Louis started to walk beside her. She watched Sophie carefully, expecting the other girl to try to switch places with her at any moment.

“Hey, sorry about earlier,” Louis said from beside her, breaking her concentration, “I’ve just never seen you in a dress before.”

“It isn’t that weird” Clementine said, turning to look at him. He was standing closer to her than she expected, and she held her breath as she stared into his eyes. Even with the ridiculous wig and terrible makeup, he was still cute.

~*~

It _was_ that weird. Louis hadn’t even been aware that Clementine knew what dresses were, let alone owned one. The little pink number was belted at the waist and came complete with red knee socks. She was still wearing her same hat, but her hair was styled into pigtails, which only added to the effect.

In conclusion, she was so fucking cute he could die.

He actually thought he might have died in the kitchen. Louis hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her, until Minnie pointed out that he was staring like a creep. So much for not making her think he was some perv.

“Or is it?” Clem asked when he didn’t say anything, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“No!” he exclaimed quickly, “Not weird. Just unexpected.”

“I’ve worn dresses before you know,” she told him.

“Oh yeah? When?”

Clementine hesitated for a moment before saying, “Okay, it was just one time. But I definitely wore it, and it wasn’t weird at all.”

Louis was about to retort when Sophie interrupted their conversation, one of Marlon’s flasks in her hand. She offered it to him, and he took a drink before he offered it to Clementine.

She looked at it with a raised brow as she said, “So _this_ is why trick-or-treating is so fun?”

“I mean, it’s not the only reason, but it helps,” Louis said with a grin. When she didn’t take it immediately, he added, “You don’t have to have any if you don’t want.”

Clem only shrugged and took the flask from him, taking a swig before passing it back to Sophie as her nose crinkled in disgust. Sophie’s eyes lingered on him for a moment before she made to catch up with the rest of the group.

“That did _not_ taste good,” Clementine said as she started walking again.

“Yeah, it probably never will,” Louis chuckled, falling in step with her easily. He made sure to match her stride so that she wouldn’t have to chase after him and his much-longer legs.

“No one else seems to have a problem with it,” Clem remarked. Her eyes were focused ahead, watching the rest of their friends pass the flask back and forth.

“Oh, don’t worry. They’re all just pretending to like it,” Louis said, adding, “Except Marlon, who actually likes it.”

“Then why do they drink it?” Clem asked him, a brow raised.

“Because of the way it makes them feel, I guess.”

“What? Sick and puking their guts out?”

Louis laughed and said, “I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who hasn’t figured out their tolerance yet.”

“You’re definitely not the only one,” Clem told him, “I have no idea how much—or I guess how little—to drink.”

“Take it from me, less is probably better than more,” Louis said as they neared the first house they were going to stop at. When they walked up the steps, he leaned over and whispered, “This place is the best. They always give out full-sized candy bars.” He finished speaking and inhaled, accidentally smelling the perfume she was wearing. It was some flowery, sweet scent and without thinking he turned his head towards her, finding their faces were much closer together than he realized.

She looked up at him then, her amber eyes widening as she saw just how close they were together. Her mouth popped open and she looked like she was about to speak. However, before she could say anything, the door to the house opened, and everyone around them said, “Trick or treat!”

Louis straightened immediately, his head snapping around so that he was facing the person giving them candy instead of looking at Clem. His heart was racing a mile a minute, and he willed it to slow down so everyone else wouldn’t hear it. Then again, they all seemed to be occupied at the moment, so maybe he’d get lucky and they wouldn’t notice how suddenly nervous he’d become.

When he snuck a glance over at Clementine, he could see that her posture was stiff, and he wondered what she was thinking. Did she think he was some kind of perv after all? Or just a weirdo who sniffed people’s hair?

As he started to spiral, the group walked off the porch and headed to the next house. Somehow in the shuffle, he wound up walking next to Sophie instead of Clementine. She was up ahead of him, walking with Omar. The two of them were chatting back and forth, and Louis was jealous that it wasn’t him.

“Don’t worry,” Sophie piped up from beside him, “I’ll make sure you guys get to walk together again after the next house.”

Louis only shrugged and said, “Thanks, Soph, but she probably doesn’t want to walk next to me anyway.”

“Well, even if she doesn’t, I do,” Sophie replied, though she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

Before he could ask her what she was talking about, they’d made it to the next house and rang the doorbell. An elderly woman answered the door, exclaiming about how nice their costumes looked. She gave them each an extra piece of candy and sent them on their way.

This time he wound up walking next to Marlon, who passed him a flask and said quietly, “Dude! Why aren’t you with Clem?”

“We keep getting separated,” Louis said after he took a drink, “But I think I freaked her out.”

“How?” Marlon asked, “Did you try to kiss her?”

“No! I just smelled her perfume! But it was an accident, I swear!” Louis hissed, hoping the others wouldn’t hear their conversation.

“Maybe she didn’t notice?” Marlon said hopefully.

“She looked right at me, dude.”

“Shit.”

And then they arrived at another house, effectively interrupting their conversation. Things continued on in this fashion for the rest of the night, with Louis trying and failing to wind up walking next to Clementine. Every time he tried, he ended up next to someone else, much to his disappointment. Instead he watched her chatting and having fun with everyone, which was a small consolation. The only time he interacted with her was to pass her a flask. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

He finally got to be near her again when they were finishing up trick-or-treating. The group was standing on the corner of a street, comparing their hauls, the candy exchange already starting. They were right next to each other now, almost near enough that he could have reached out and held her hand.

Suddenly Violet narrowed her eyes and craned her neck, staring down the street, saying, “Hey, I think those guys are TP-ing that house.”

“Seriously? Where?” Marlon asked, peering in the same direction.

Louis listened carefully and could hear the sounds of some hooligans laughing and cheering each other on. Soon after, the lights of the house flicked on, which was enough to scare the kids off. They disappeared into the night quickly, leaving their group as the only people on the street.

“Hey, we should get out of here, too,” Minnie said, “We don’t want them thinking we’re responsible.”

“We don’t even have toilet paper,” Louis replied with a wave of his hand.

“Yeah, but we _do_ have alcohol,” Ruby interjected as she leaned on Aasim for support, “So if the cops show up, we’re still gettin’ in trouble.”

At that moment, the sounds of sirens in the distance caught everyone’s attention, and Marlon yelled “Scatter!” causing everyone to take off in different directions.

Louis instinctively took Clem’s hand and led her off down a side street, hopefully away from the approaching police vehicle. She held onto him tightly, seeming to keep pace with him easily as they ran down the sidewalk. Unfortunately in his inebriated state, Louis had accidentally run towards the cop car, and it rounded the corner, the flashing blue and red lights illuminating the road ahead of them.

He looked to his right and saw some bushes in front of someone’s house that would make the perfect hiding place. “This way!” Louis yelled, tugging her in their direction.

They crashed through the leaves together, with Clementine ending up against the wall and Louis bracing himself in front of her to shield her from the police. He listened carefully as the car drove down the street slowly and prayed they wouldn’t get caught. The last thing he wanted was to be the reason Clementine had a police record.

Once the car rounded another corner and appeared to be heading away from them, Louis breathed a sigh of relief. His heart was still pounding as he whispered, “That was close.”

He looked down at Clementine through the darkness, and saw that she staring up at him, her amber eyes wide, her lips parted. It was in that moment that he realized just how close they were standing together, and had he been a little more sober, he probably would have had the decency to move away from her.

Instead, it seemed like his body took on a life of its own as he slid his hands down the wall and put them on her shoulders. She responded in kind by putting her hands on his chest and leaning towards him, tilting her head back as her eyes fluttered closed.

He could kiss her right now. It would be so simple. All he’d have to do was lean forward and press his lips against hers. It wouldn’t even take a second.

_You don’t want to be her rebound_ , came Ruby’s voice in his head, loud and clear, _Give her some time to get over this Gabe asshole, or else you might not be anything more to her than a stepping stone to someone else._

The warmth that had curled its way around his heart vanished in an instant, and without thinking he let her go and stepped back. His action caused Clementine to stumble, as apparently she’d been leaning on him more than he’d noticed. Louis shot forward and caught her with ease, saying, “Whoops. Guess you had more to drink than I thought. Let’s get you back to Sophie and Minnie’s, okay?”

She nodded, her expression unreadable in the dark, and the two of them walked out of the bushes together. When they did, Louis caught sight of Sophie on the sidewalk. She was staring at them, her bright blue eyes wide with surprise.

“What were you guys doing?” she asked, her arms folded across her chest.

“Hiding from the cops, if that wasn’t obvious,” Louis said with a roll of his eyes before he asked her, “What are you doing?”

“Looking for you, if that wasn’t obvious,” Sophie shot back as she stared daggers at Louis. The expression disappeared a moment later when she sighed and said, “We’re meeting back up at my house. The kids should be there, too, so try to act normal.” With that, she turned and walked away, her high heels clacking against the concrete of the sidewalk.

~*~

Clementine watched Sophie stalk off, and knew that the other girl was jealous. It was so obvious in the way she’d looked at them when they’d walked out of the bushes. Fortunately for Sophie, she didn’t have anything to be jealous of. That much was clear to Clem now.

Truth be told, she didn’t know what had come over her when they’d been in their little hiding spot. Maybe it was the intensity of the situation. Or maybe it was the alcohol going to her head. Whatever it was, for a second she’d actually considered kissing Louis, and it had seemed like he wanted to kiss her, too.

Until he let her go and she’d nearly face-planted into the dirt, that is.

That was enough of a reality check for her, and she quickly shook off whatever strange feeling had taken root in her mind. Instead, she tried to figure out how she could smooth things over with Sophie, and reassure her that there was nothing going on between her and Louis.

A part of her wondered if she should say something to Louis since they were alone. After all, if he did have a crush on Sophie, he’d probably want to know she seemed to like him, too. If he didn’t know by now, then Clem figured he was the most oblivious guy on the planet. How could he miss such clear cut signs?

Before she could make up her mind, however, they’d caught up to everyone else, and her opportunity was lost. Since they were afraid of being questioned by the police, the group hustled back to Minnie’s and Sophie’s place. When they got there, Tenn was already home and in bed. Clementine found out that Lee and AJ had gone back to their place, since AJ had had enough excitement for one night, and Lee trusted that she’d be able to find her way back.

Sophie and Minnie’s mom told them that they could hang out for an hour, then everyone had to leave. Since Sophie and Brody were the only two who were sober, it was decided that Brody would take some people home, and Sophie would take the rest. Clementine wound up in Sophie’s car, and was the last one to be dropped off.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Sophie asked her, likely in an attempt to make polite conversation.

“Do you like Louis?” Clem blurted out, unable to stop herself. She’d taken one too many drinks from the flask, it seemed.

“What?” Sophie exclaimed, her head snapping around to look at Clem. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth had dropped open in shock.

“Do you like Louis?” Clem repeated, as Sophie turned her head to focus on the road again.

“Are you drunk?” Sophie asked, obviously deflecting.

“Look, you don’t have to tell me,” Clementine said in what she hoped as a reassuring tone, “I just wanted to tell you that I think he likes you, too. So whatever you think happened in the bushes, it didn’t. You don’t need to be jealous or whatever.”

Sophie shook her head and said, “It’s fine, Clementine. Let’s just talk about something else.”

However, neither of them spoke. They were silent all the way to Clementine’s house. When they finally rolled up, she grabbed her bag of candy, said goodbye to Sophie, then jumped out of the car and practically ran up the sidewalk. When she got inside, she found that blessedly no one was awake, so she could stumble her way up to her bedroom in peace.

She fell on her bed, still in costume, and pulled out her phone. As she opened up her messages with Louis, she wondered how quickly he and Sophie would get together. If they did, it would at least partially be thanks to her. With that thought, she typed out a simple text.

**Clementine [00:32]:** _You’re welcome._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another update for you guys amidst all the madness! I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy. I've been coping by looking for good news and seeing all the positive things people are doing to support one another during this time. There are many people stepping up to help out, and it really warms my heart. :)
> 
> Anyway, thank you to everyone who's read my story, even though there are more pressing things going on in the world. Hopefully it helps.


	12. Chapter 12

“What do you think it means?” Louis asked Marlon as he stared at the extremely ominous text he got from Clem.

“Nothing. Like I said a thousand times already. She probably just sent you that message by mistake,” Marlon sighed, as he kept his attention focused on playing _Fortnite_.

“Yeah, but what if she didn’t?” Louis said, his eyes never leaving his phone screen.

“You know how you can figure it out?” Marlon said, finally looking his direction now that he’d died.

“How?”

“By asking her.” At that, Marlon snatched the phone out of his hand, his fingers flying across the keys before Louis could stop him.

“Hey!” Louis yelled, scrambling after him, only to realize it was too late. Marlon handed his phone back, having already sent Clementine a message.

**Louis [12:02]:** _??_

“Goddammit Marlon!” Louis yelled as he scowled at his friend.

“Look, you wanted an answer, now you’ll have one. You should be thanking me, dude.” Marlon sat back down and picked up his controller, ready to start another round.

“Whatever. I should head home. I’ll see you later,” Louis said, rising and stalking out of Marlon’s room.

“Later, man,” Marlon replied without looking up.

Even though he was Louis’s best friend, Marlon could be a real asshole sometimes. Still, he knew he’d forgive his friend eventually, even if he was pissed right now. Especially since Louis probably would have sent Clementine a text eventually. The mystery was too great for him to just ignore it after all.

He still had no idea what he needed to be thanking her for. Louis had tried and failed to remember something from the previous evening that she might have done for him. Aside from her trading him some Butterfingers—his absolute favorite—in exchange for some Baby Ruths, he couldn’t think of anything.

As he cruised down the road, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. How would she respond? What favor had she done him? Did he somehow black out last night? Louis was so distracted by all these questions, that he didn’t notice his father’s car in the garage, or the man himself sitting at the dining room table, waiting for him.

“Hello Louis,” his dad finally said, startling him.

“Whoa!” Louis gasped, clutching his chest, “You scared the shit out of me!”

“Did I? Are you sure your midterm report card isn’t what’s scaring you?” he asked, a brow raised as he slid the paper across the table to where Louis could see it.

Fuck. Louis forgot those came in the mail. He normally managed to intercept them, but he’d been too distracted by Clementine to remember.

He approached the table cautiously, wondering which of his classes was disappointing his old man. Was it be English? Louis could see his teacher docking him some points for the little in class disturbance he’d had with Sophie. Or was it Chemistry? The only thing involving reactions that he was good at was getting them from other people.

When he finally saw his grades, he found out that it was Algebra II that had likely gotten him in trouble. Math had never been his strong suit, and between shirking his educational obligations and his own incompetence, he’d managed to get all the way down to a D minus.

“Well? Anything to say for yourself?”

Louis just shrugged and said, “Would anything I had to say actually matter?”

“If you have a good reason for these grades, then yes. If you’ve been blowing off school to hang out with your friends, then no.”

“Then I guess I don’t have anything to say for myself.”

William sighed and shook his head, saying, “Louis, you have to start taking this seriously. What are you going to do with your life with grades like these? At this rate, you’d be lucky if you could even get into community college, let alone a school that’s actually worth something.”

“Whoops. Guess I’ll just wind up homeless now. What a shame,” Louis said sarcastically, grabbing his report card and crumpling it up.

As he tried to walk out of the room, his father said, “Give me your keys.”

“Seriously? It’s one fucking grade,” Louis exclaimed, rounding on his dad.

“And when your grades are bad, you lose your car. Those were the terms you agreed to when I bought it for you. Now, hand me your keys.” He had an air of calm authority about him, as though he didn’t expect anymore resistance from Louis. His hand was extended, his eyes cold, and it took all of Louis’s self-control not to throw the keys at him. Instead, he stalked over and wordlessly dropped the car key into his outstretched hand.

“Thank you. That didn’t have to be so hard, and I appreciate you finally showing a little maturity.”

Louis rolled his eyes and muttered, “Whatever.”

“Also, I’m going to be hiring you a tutor to get your grades up. I imagine you’ll need a lot of help, so you should meet with them about three times a week? Or maybe five. I’ll let you know,” his father said, finally rising from the table to head to his office.

“Whoa! That’s, like, all of my free time!” Louis said, following him.

“And? Clearly you have too much of it,” his dad remarked over his shoulder.

Louis tried to think of some way out of this situation. The last thing he wanted was to spend numerous nights here at home with some stranger his dad selected for him. It sounded like brutal, unbearable torture.

“Actually, someone at school already offered to help me with my homework!” Louis blurted out, “They said we could work on my math at the school library.”

His statement caused William to turn around, his brow raised as he asked, “Really? You just happen to have a tutor lined up, even though you only just now found out about your grades?”

Time for some acting. Louis knew what his dad wanted to hear, and he hung his head dramatically, saying, “I already knew about my D minus, I just didn’t want to tell you. I was afraid you’d be disappointed in me, and I thought I could fix it before midterms. I guess I was just too dumb.”

“Louis, you’re not dumb. You just choose not to apply yourself,” his dad corrected as he walked over to him. He put his hands on Louis’s shoulders and said, “I know you can do better than this if you’d only try. If you have a tutor already lined up, then I’m fine with whoever you’ve chosen. But only if you bring them here, so I can make sure you’re actually studying.”

Shit. He couldn’t tell if his dad was calling his bluff, or of the old man actually thought he had someone and was just trying to cover his bases. Whatever the case, Louis needed to figure out who he could enlist to teach him some algebra.

“Sure, dad. I’ll set up a schedule with them and let you know,” Louis said, heading towards the stairs so he could hide in his bedroom.

He was pretty much fucked. Louis knew that he couldn’t just pick one of his friends to impersonate a tutor. His dad knew what most of them looked like, and would find out instantly that Louis had lied.

Just then, his phone chimed, and he looked down to see he had a text from Clementine.

**Clementine [13:25]:** _Whoops. Sorry. I meant to send that to someone else._

So Marlon was right, and Louis had been losing his mind for no reason. He sighed and shook his head, wondering if he should start going to therapy or some shit.

As he started to type out a message back, a realization hit him like a lightning bolt.

**Louis [13:28]:** _No problemo Clem_ _o_ _. Question:_ _a_ _re you any good at math?_

**Clementine [13:29]:** _I’m in AP Calc, so I guess? Why?_

**Louis [13:31]:** _I have the tiniest favor to ask you. It’s minuscule really._ _So small you wouldn’t even notice._

**Clementine [13:33]:** _I’m almost afraid to ask…_

**Louis [13:34]:** _I need someone to help me get my Algebra 2 grade up. Would you tutor me? I could pay you, either in money or whatever other currency you’d accept._

* * *

Clementine hardly considered tutoring a small favor, but she still sent back the following message:

**Clementine [13:35]:** _Sure. How bad is it?_

**Louis [13:35]:** _Honestly? I managed to get down to a D-_

**Clementine [13:36]:** _Ouch._

**Louis [13:37]:** _Yup. What can I say? I’m just really good at failure._ _;)_

**Clementine [13:38]:** _We all have our strengths. :P When do you want to get together? And how often?_

She hoped it would be often and soon. Ever since Halloween, Louis had been on her mind frequently, especially when she saw that she’d drunk texted him that night. Clementine was just thankful that all she’d said was ‘you’re welcome.’ She felt bad enough that she’d outed Louis’s crush on Sophie. It would have been twice as bad if she’d told Louis about Sophie’s feelings for him.

Clem had been waiting for him to ask her what she meant, and when he finally did, she’d already lined up her excuse. It was simple really, even if she did feel bad about lying. However, she figured there was no harm in it, since it was just a small fib designed to protect someone else’s secret that she’d had no business telling.

**Louis [13:40]:** _Twice a week work for you? We could do Wednesdays and Fridays._

For whatever reason, she found herself disappointed that it wasn’t more. Then again, would she want to spend every night of the week studying? No. So it made sense that Louis was limiting it to twice a week. If he studied with her any more, he’d never have time for Sophie.

**Clementine [13:42]:** _Sounds great. :) Where do you want to meet up?_

Clem wondered if he’d want to come to her house. The thought of him hanging out in her living room or even seeing her bedroom made her stomach do flip-flops. She had no idea what Lee would make of him, or if he would approve of her friend. At least AJ already loved Louis. Ever since that day at the costume shop, AJ had been pestering her about when she’d ask him to hang out again.

**Louis [13:46]:** _Actually, we have to do it at my place. Dad’s rules. Is that okay?_

Her brows shot up as she read the text and thought about going over to his house. Now she was picturing seeing his bedroom, which caused her cheeks to turn a warm shade of pink.

**Clementine [13:47]:** _I can make that work._

**Louis [13:48]:** _Thanks Clem. I owe you one. :)_

In truth, he didn’t. She was more than happy to help him out. Plus, she’d get to spend time with him, which was something she found herself looking forward to more and more. It seemed that the closer they got, the more she wanted to be around him. There was just something about Louis that drew her to him, and made her want to get to know him better.

Her phone buzzed suddenly, and she looked down, hoping it was another message from Louis.

Instead, it was a text from someone she hadn’t heard from in a while.

**Gabe [14:00]:** _Hey Clem. How are you?_

As she stared at the message on her phone, she realized that she hadn’t even thought about Gabe for a couple weeks. Somehow, she’d managed to forget him, if only for a little while. Now that she was reminded of him, however, her feelings about him and their situation returned, especially the bitterness.

**Clementine [14:05]:** _Good. You?_

**Gabe [14:06]:** _Same. Homework is such a drag lol I just realized I hadn’t heard from you in a while and thought it would be good to catch up._

**Clementine [14:07]:** _Cool. Anything new and exciting?_

She expected he’d gush all about his new girlfriend and how great she was. Maybe that’s why he’d bothered to message her at all. Clementine hadn’t actually congratulated him on his relationship, and she could guess that he’d want to know why.

**Gabe [14:09]:** _Nah, not really. Same old same old around here. Duck and Sarah miss you a lot though. And so does Mariana. She asks me every day when you’re going to come visit._

Clem’s brows knit together in confusion as she read his text. Why didn’t he mention Jane? It wasn’t like he’d tried to hide it on social media, so why was he hiding it now?

**Clementine [14:12]:** _Tell Mariana I miss her too._

Gabe’s younger sister was a sweet girl and Clem often got the feeling that Mariana idolized her in a way. She always did her best to set a good example for her.

**Gabe [14:14]:** _What about me_ _? ;_ _)_

His question made her feel slightly sick to her stomach. Gabe had no business asking her anything like that now that he was seeing someone else. Even if it seemed innocent from the outside, she knew him well enough to know that it wasn’t. This was the kind of flirty banter he’d have engaged in before she’d moved. If he’d sent this a couple months ago, it would have made her giddy. Now it only made her feel uncomfortable and gross.

**Clementine [14:15]:** _What do you mean?_

**Gabe [14:16]:** _Come on. Are you saying you don’t miss me even a little bit? :_ _)_

**Clementine [14:17]:** _I’m not saying anything._

**Gabe [14:18]:** _I_ _just_ _really wish you hadn’t moved away…_

Clem had no idea how to respond to that. What exactly was he playing at? Why would he flirt with her when he had a girlfriend?

**Gabe [14:32]:** _You know what? Nevermind._

She didn’t have anything else to say to him and decided to leave it at that. He didn’t send her another message either, and where she normally would have been disappointed, now she was just relieved. What had he been getting at by asking her if she missed him? Even if he hadn’t stated it directly, she knew that’s what he’d been looking for.

Truth be told, she _didn’t_ actually miss him. At least, not at the present moment. She was surprised to find that she was happier that he wasn’t around, especially if he was going to act weird. Clementine couldn’t help but wonder what his girlfriend would make of the awkward exchange.

The more vindictive part of her contemplated sending screenshots of the messages to Jane. After all, if it were her, she’d want to know if her boyfriend was trying to flirt with someone else. Then again, it wasn’t that loaded of an exchange. A couple messages didn’t make him a cheater. Plus, Jane didn’t know her at all and likely would think that Clementine was just trying to break them up.

In the end, Clem decided to keep it to herself. She doubted he’d try to get in touch with her again anyway. No point in rocking the boat over something so small.

To make herself feel better, Clementine decided to have a movie night with AJ. They were settled in on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in between them. To be nice, Clem gave her brother first pick, and he decided on _The Incredibles 2_.

As the movie was starting, AJ turned to her and said, “We should invite Louis over.”

Clementine had gotten used to this request by now and only shook her head, saying, “Not tonight, goofball. He’s busy.”

“You always say he’s busy, Clem. He can’t always be busy,” AJ replied.

“He’s a busy guy, AJ,” Clementine said with a shrug.

“I bet he wouldn’t be busy if _you_ asked.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Because he _likes_ you.”

“Not that again,” Clementine groaned, staring at the ceiling in exasperation, “Listen, AJ. Louis is just a friendly guy. He acts like that with everyone. Now you need to be quiet or you’ll miss the movie.”

She expected him to argue, but he didn’t, instead choosing to cross his arms and pout. Eventually he got over it, but she wondered how long his insistence that Louis had a crush on her would go on. AJ seemed strangely fixated on the idea, and she had no idea how to get through to him that it was nothing more than his imagination. It was fine if he said it around her, but she worried about him saying it to other people, especially Lee. She knew if Lee got wind of even the slightest hint of Louis’s existence that he’d want to know all about him. Clementine wanted to wait a little longer before she’d have to endure the Spanish Inquisition.


	13. Chapter 13

Once Wednesday finally rolled around, Louis was nervous as hell. For their tutoring sessions he’d purposefully picked the days that his dad usually stayed late at the office. However, that didn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t spontaneously decide to come home early for once. He’d do anything to make sure Clementine didn’t meet his dad, and was already planning potential escape routes for her should the need arise.

They’d agreed for Clementine to meet him at his place after school. Louis wished he could just have her ride with him, but because of his grades, he no longer had his car. Sophie had been nice enough to offer to give him rides home, which wasn’t ideal, but better than taking the bus. When she’d asked where his car was, he’d lied and said something about it being in the shop. There was just something slightly embarrassing about having such bad grades that he’d lost his car privileges.

When the doorbell finally rang, he rushed to answer it. His heart was pounding as he opened the door, revealing Clem standing on the other side. She was wearing her usual baseball cap, a blue leather moto jacket, a white Henley underneath with a flannel tied around her waist. She had on black skinny jeans and her usual combat boots to complete the look, along with a messenger bag that seemed to be bursting with books.

What was most prominent, however, was the look of awe on her face as she stared up into his entryway. Her amber eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly agape as she appeared to be trying to take everything in.

“Anyone in there?” Louis said, waving his hand in front of her face. He was trying to be funny in spite of the nerves that stayed bundled in the pit of his stomach.

“Sorry,” Clem apologized immediately as she shook her head, causing her curls to bounce, “I’m just…a little surprised.”

“About what?” Louis asked, playing dumb.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Oh! You mean the ridiculously large house I live in? Didn’t think you’d notice,” Louis said with a shrug, adding, “You wanna actually come inside, or would you rather tutor me on the front steps?”

“Sorry,” she repeated as she finally entered, set down her bag, and began to take off her boots, “I really didn’t expect you to live in a literal castle.”

“It’s not a literal castle,” Louis protested, feeling even more self-conscious. His family’s wealth was something he didn’t like to share with people so early on. It usually changed the way they looked at him. Either they were extra nice to him—so they could get money from him—or they acted like they weren’t good enough to be friends with him. It was yet another reason he hadn’t wanted to bring Clementine here.

“Louis. It has a turret,” Clem said as she straightened, raising a brow at him.

“Okay, well, one turret doesn’t make it a castle. It would have to have at least four in order for it to be classified as a castle,” Louis retorted. He turned on his heel to lead her through the house to where they would be studying. He’d decided on the dining room, as that was equidistant to the front and back doors. Whichever way his father might come in, Louis would simply lead Clementine through the opposite entrance.

“Are you going to give me a tour?” Clem asked from behind him.

Louis turned back to see that she hadn’t moved from her spot in the entryway, and her arms were folded across her chest. Much as he wanted to say no, he knew he couldn’t deny Clementine. Especially when she was giving him her, ‘I won’t take no for an answer’ face, which he found to be devastatingly cute.

With a sigh, he asked, “Do you really want to see it? It’s just a house.”

“No, my place is ‘just a house.’ This is basically a fortress. Or a mansion. Or a castle,” she said, ending her statement with a smirk. When he didn’t immediately jump at the opportunity to show her around, her expression faded and she added, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I really was just teasing. Not that I would mind a tour, but only if you’re okay with it.”

Louis was surprised that she could tell he was uneasy, and it warmed his heart to know that she’d put her own wants aside for his comfort.

He hesitated for another second before admitting the truth. “Honestly, I’m just a little weird about showing people around because of what the size of my house implies. But it’s fine. Let’s go.” With that, he made for the stairs, deciding to show her the upper level before touring her around the main level.

“What does it imply?” she asked as she followed up the stairs behind him.

“That I’m filthy fucking rich? Or that my family is anyway,” Louis stated, thankful that he didn’t have to meet her gaze.

“I kind of figured that out from the outside,” Clem chuckled, her tone becoming serious as she continued, “But what does it matter? You shouldn’t be embarrassed that your family has money.”

Once they reached the landing, Louis finally faced her, his brow raised as he said, “It’s not that I’m embarrassed about it. It’s the way people treat you once they find out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say you can’t really tell if they like you, or they like the things you can get them,” Louis told her, trying to keep the bitter edge out of his voice. He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to change the subject, saying, “Anyway, this is the second floor. There’s some bedrooms and bathrooms up here. No ghosts, though, unfortunately, which would make it way cooler.”

He could tell his attempt to divert her attention had failed when Clem reached out and placed her hand on his arm. As he looked her in the eye, he saw she was staring up at him, her face serious as she said, “Louis, I would never use you. You know that, right?”

There was something very earnest in her gaze that struck a chord deep within him. Louis felt his face heat up as he tried to stutter out a response. However, the way she was looking at him made it hard to speak.

When he couldn’t seem to manage a coherent sentence, Clementine gave his arm a squeeze and said, “I know we haven’t been friends for long, but I promise that all of this changes nothing. You’re still the same cute, funny guy to me, no matter how much money you have or don’t have.”

He wanted to thank her for what she said, but he finally realized the one of the words that she’d used, and couldn’t help the grin that broke out on his face as he asked, “Cute?”

She looked as though she’d been caught stealing a cookie out of the jar, and quickly snatched her hand away as she stammered, “Not like…you know…I meant cute like a bunny rabbit! Or like a baby!”

Louis burst out laughing, and said, “A baby? Really?”

Her cheeks were pink as she shook her head and said, “Look, I was just trying to say that you’re my friend, for richer or for poorer. So don’t worry about it, and just show me the rest of your castle.”

With that, she pushed past him and walked down the hall, straight into his bedroom.

* * *

Why had she called Louis cute? What was wrong with her?

Sure, she’d thought it a number of times, but actually telling him was a different matter entirely. Now he probably thought she had a crush on him or something. The word had just slipped out without her even thinking twice about it, and she wished she could take it back.

Her heart was still racing from the way he’d been smiling at her. It had almost seemed like he liked that she thought he was cute. Maybe he did. Would that be the end of the world?

Clementine was brought out of her thoughts when she looked around the room she’d pushed into, and realized that she had inadvertently charged straight into someone’s bedroom.

“I guess we can start the tour off with a bang. This is my room,” Louis said, gesturing around the cluttered space. Much like her room, there were clothes laying in different places, and his bed was unmade. Unlike her room, he had a desk on which sat an expensive looking computer. He also had some kind of record player which looked equally expensive, along with shelves upon shelves of records.

Without thinking, she walked towards the shelves, wondering just how many records he had. Many of them looked old, though they appeared to still be in good condition. Something told her that these were some of his most prized possessions.

“Where did you get all these?” Clem asked as she continued to stare at the multitude of albums.

“They belonged to my grandpa,” Louis said from behind her, closer than she expected, “He left them to me after he died.”

The sadness that tinged his voice caused her to turn around, and Clementine saw that his eyes were soft and filled with sorrow. He was looking at the records himself, likely thinking about the man who’d owned them before him.

She was about to say something to comfort him when he pasted on a cheerful smile and said, “They’re pretty cool. And they work great as frisbees, too. Now come on, let’s take a look at the rest of the house.”

As he showed her most of the rooms on the upper level, she could tell that his upbeat attitude was most likely for her benefit. His eyes still looked sad, and she felt a little guilty for unknowingly making him think about someone he was obviously still grieving. She wanted to ask about his grandfather but thought it might be better not to push him. Then again, he’d never brought up the man before, nor had any of their other friends. Maybe he needed someone to talk to about it.

“Tell me more about your grandpa,” Clementine blurted out as he was showing her one of the bathrooms on the upper level.

Louis looked surprised and asked, “What do you want to know?”

“Were you close?”

“Yeah, he basically raised me for a while,” Louis told her hesitantly as he put his hands in his pockets, “He’s the reason that I love music so much. We’d spend a lot of summer nights on his porch listening to those records. And when it got cold, we’d go into his house where he taught me how to play the piano. After he died, I wanted to give it up, but I knew he’d be disappointed if I let my ‘talent’ go to waste. He told me so many times he thought I could be some great pianist. I don’t really think that’s true, but I still play because it makes me feel close to him I guess.

“He was always so patient with me, too. I wasn’t exactly an easy kid to deal with, but he never seemed to mind. Mostly he’d just laugh when I was being a brat and pat me on the head. It only made me more annoyed, but now I’d give anything for him to do that just one more time.”

Louis was quiet for a moment, then added softly, “I’ve never told anyone that before.”

“He sounds like he was a good man,” Clementine replied, “Why was he taking care of you?”

Louis sighed, saying, “He was my mom’s dad. When she died, my dad didn’t really know what to do. He worked a lot, probably because he couldn’t deal with his grief. So my pops stepped in to take care of me instead.”

“I’m sorry about your mom,” Clem said, thinking about how hard it was to lose her own parents, “But at least you still have your dad.”

That statement seemed to break whatever spell was over them, because Louis barked out a laugh and said, “Yeah, I guess. Let’s head back downstairs so we can start studying. My Algebra II grade isn’t going to raise itself.”

With that, he brushed past her and headed for the stairs. She got the distinct feeling that she’d said the wrong thing, and kicked herself for whatever it was. Clementine assumed it was what she’d said about his dad. Maybe it had been insensitive, but if she could bring back even just one of her parents, she would. Though she wanted to apologize, she had a feeling it wouldn’t go over well and decided to leave the conversation as it was.

Louis showed her the rest of his house, though his enthusiasm seemed to be dampened. It was as beautiful as she’d expected it to be, but part of her got the feeling he didn’t enjoy living here as much as one might think. They finished the tour in the large, formal dining room, where he told her they could study. She quickly retrieved her messenger bag and pulled out the different books she thought they could use in order to improve his grade.

“Being completely realistic, I think the best we can do is get you back up to a C,” Clementine told him as she joined him at the table.

“Well, that’s better than a D minus,” Louis said with a shrug.

“You’ll just have to make sure to get at least a 95% on all your assignments and tests from here on out.”

“Seriously? If that’s true, then the best we can hope for is a D plus,” Louis groaned, staring at all the materials she had.

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short,” Clementine admonished, “You’re really smart, Louis, even if you don’t see it yourself. Maybe math isn’t your strong suit, but I bet with the right help you’ll pick it up in no time.”

Louis snorted and said, “Sure. And maybe I’ll grow wings and be able to fly myself to school, too.”

“Well, if that happens then you won’t have to worry about your math grades anymore. You could probably sell tickets to that show no problem,” Clementine shot back playfully.

“I can just see it now: my name in lights, people coming from miles around just to see the flying boy wonder. And at this rate, it seems easier than getting a C in Algebra anyway, so it’s worth a shot,” Louis laughed, the tension seeming to finally leave him.

With that, she started going through his latest math assignment with him, explaining where he’d gone wrong. At first he seemed resistant to what she was telling him, but as he began to understand more, his barriers started coming down. Then they set to work on what he was currently supposed to be learning. It seemed with the more she taught him, the more confident he became, which made it easier for him to understand the equations.

As the ease between them returned, Clementine finally began to relax again. For a moment she’d wondered if she’d pushed him too hard and worried that she’d caused a rift to form between them. The idea of losing the little bit of closeness they’d developed had caused Clem’s heart to squeeze uncomfortably, and she was glad she hadn’t permanently damaged their relationship.

Then again, she should have known better than to think that one little thing could really push Louis away forever. Somehow she could tell that he was very forgiving towards the people he cared about. She’d never actually seen him in a fight with any of their friends, and could only assume that it was because they were over before they really had a chance to begin.

The only thing that concerned Clem now was just how attached she seemed to be to him. They’d only known each other a few short months, and in that time she had apparently gotten very used to having him in her life. Every day he managed to make her laugh, smile, or both, and Clementine found that she didn’t want to have to give that up, even if she had done something to deserve it.

She tried to think of the last time she’d been this attached to someone, and could only come up with one answer:

Gabe.

The thought made her mouth go dry as she tried to figure out exactly what that meant. Clem’s heart began to pound while she watched Louis work through one of the math problems she’d given him. His tongue was poking out of the corner of his mouth, making him look twice as cute as usual. He had a slight wrinkle between his brows where they knit together in concentration—or confusion, she wasn’t really sure. To top it all off, one of his dreads had fallen across his forehead, and she had to stop herself from brushing it back into place.

Shit.

Fuck.

This was bad, wasn’t it?

“Hell yeah!” Louis exclaimed suddenly, startling her. He slid his paper over to her quickly, apparently oblivious to her sudden internal turmoil.

“What?” Clem asked stupidly, staring at the paper as though it had hieroglyphics on it instead of algebra.

“I figured out the answer. At least, I think I did. Did I?” He looked unsure of himself for a moment, and Clem’s heart nearly burst.

“Let me check,” she said, trying to make sense of the numbers with how flustered she’d just become. After a couple of deep breaths, she finally got her mind working again, and saw that he had, in fact, come up with the correct answer.

“Great job,” Clementine said, giving him a smile, “Now do it nine more times.”

“Seriously?” Louis whined, as she slid the sheet back to him.

“You want to actually learn it, right? It’ll get easier, and then you’ll be finished with them before you know it.”

“Fine,” Louis sighed, grabbing his pencil and setting to work.

To distract herself, Clementine decided to work on her own homework, though it proved to be much more difficult than she expected. She found herself glancing at Louis every few minutes without meaning to. Then, she’d catch herself, scold herself, and try to get back to it, only to repeat the cycle once again. It was maddening.

Luckily for her, her prediction had come true, and Louis finished his practice problems faster than either of them had expected. He only got one of the questions wrong, and after she walked him through where he’d made his misstep he nodded with understanding.

“See? I told you that all you needed was the right teacher,” Clem said, grinning at him.

“I guess you’ll just have to take over for Ms. Taylor then. I’m sure she won’t mind,” Louis chuckled before his smile faded and he added, “Seriously though. Thank you for helping me. I feel like this is the first time I actually get this stuff.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Clem told him, “I’d do anything for you—or anyone for that matter. Any of my friends. I really like helping my friends.”

Get it together, Clem.

Louis raised a brow at her and said, “Well, let me know when I can return the favor. I’m sure you have better things to do on a Wednesday night than study.”

At that moment, her stomach growled, causing her face to flush with embarrassment.

“Like eat, for instance,” Louis said as he grinned at her, “Let me take you out to say thanks.”

“Why don’t we wait until after your grade improves? Then you’ll actually have something to thank me for,” Clem replied, not wanting to take payment prematurely. She hardly deserved it after only a little bit of work.

Louis opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of a door opening into the house caused his eyes to widen. He started to frantically try to gather her things and shove them into her bag, though she didn’t know why.

Before she could ask him what was wrong, a man who looked like an older, more intimidating version of Louis entered the dining room. His hair was clean cut instead of in dreads, and she could tell by the set of his shoulders and his posture that he was a very serious man. It was a stark contrast to Louis’s easy-going nature, and she found she wanted to shrink under the stranger’s gaze.

Instead, she sat tall and did her best to meet the man’s eyes as he gave her a once over before turning to Louis and asking, “Is this the tutor you told me about?”

“Yeah, dad. This is Clementine,” Louis said from beside her, his tone clipped.

“Ah,” Louis’s dad said, then paused for a moment before turning back to Clem and saying, “Well, thank you for taking on my son. I know he can be difficult, so I commend you.”

At his statement, Clem’s brows shot up, and she opened her mouth to argue, but didn’t get a chance.

“If you can actually get something through his thick skull, I’ll pay you double. For now, I’ll just pay you for the trouble he’s no doubt giving you. Let me get my checkbook,” he continued, breezing past them and heading towards where Clementine remembered his office was.

She was shocked. Never in her life had Lee spoken that way about her. She couldn’t think of a time where her adoptive father had made her feel anything other than good about herself. The way Louis’s dad talked about his own son was unforgivable, not to mention how casually he’d said such hurtful things. Her hands balled into fists as she stood quickly from her chair, intent on giving him a piece of her mind.

Louis’s hand wrapping around her wrist stopped her. When she turned to look at him, she found he was staring at the table instead of looking her direction. His shoulders were slumped, and his entire body was tense.

“Don’t bother,” he finally said, sounding defeated, “Let’s just get your shit together, and we can meet again next Friday. I’ll walk you out.”

The air in the room was solemn as Clementine helped Louis gather up her papers and books. She tried to move quickly, because she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to hold her tongue should Louis’s dad come back. Thankfully, he didn’t reappear, which left her alone with Louis. She tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn’t look at her, which only made her more upset.

When he opened the door for her, Clem grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him out onto the front step with her. She quickly closed the door behind him, saying, “We should meet at my house from now on.”

Louis sighed heavily and said, “We can’t. Dad’s rules, remember?”

“Fuck your dad,” Clem blurted out without thinking. She shook her head and said, “Sorry. But you know what I mean.”

He looked surprised, but a small smile formed on his face as he chuckled weakly and replied, “Yeah, I know what you mean. It doesn’t matter though. If you try to push it, he’ll just hire another tutor.”

“Then prove to him that I actually helped you. Do really well on your next couple of assignments and do whatever else you have to so he’s all buttered up. Then we’ll make up some excuse for why I can’t make it out here, and since your car is in the shop, it’s just easier for you to come to my house,” Clem rambled, on a roll now, “You can ride home with me and my dad after school, then I can bring you back here once our study session is finished. I think as long as we can make it seem completely logical, it’ll work.”

“You really think so?” Louis asked hopefully.

“Well, I just met him, so I don’t _actually_ know. But it’s worth a shot,” Clem shrugged.

“Okay. Fine. Let’s give it a try,” Louis nodded, “We can ask him on Friday.”

“Deal. Just work hard this week, okay?”

“Deal,” Louis said, finally smiling again. He peered over her shoulder, then looked back at her and asked, “Speaking of rides, where’s your car?”

“Oh. My dad needed it, so I have to text him. But I think I’d rather wait out here,” Clementine told him, pulling out her phone to shoot Lee a message. She’d been so distracted by Louis’s dad that she’d forgotten, and now she’d have to wait at least fifteen minutes for him to show.

“You want me to wait with you?” Louis offered, though she wasn’t sure if it was for her benefit or his.

Regardless, she nodded, and said, “Yeah. I’d like that.”

As they sat together on the front steps, Clementine could tell that Louis was still upset. He was quiet, his face somber as he stared into the distance. Wanting to offer him a little bit of comfort, she leaned her head on his shoulder. It wasn’t much, but words failed her at the moment as the only thing she could think to say was how big of a dick Louis’s dad was.

She held her breath as she waited to see if he’d push her away. Instead, he rested his head against hers, his body warm as their shoulders pressed together. Though it was strangely intimate, she found she didn’t mind the contact. Troubling as that was, she did her best to ignore those intrusive thoughts and tried to live in the moment instead.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Louis eventually spoke, saying “I gotta tell you, it was a little surprising to see you had a scheming side. You usually seem so innocent.”

Clementine scoffed and said, “I am _so_ not innocent.”

“Yeah, I figured that one out pretty quickly. Who knew you could be so good at lying?” Louis chuckled. She couldn’t see his face, but got the feeling he just messing with her.

“Hey, I haven’t actually lied to anyone yet,” Clem protested, “I just thought of a lie. It’s totally different.”

“If you say so. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lose your temper either,” Louis remarked, his tone changing slightly.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Not a lot makes me mad, I promise. I guess I’m just protective of people I care about,” Clem told him, then added hastily, “You know. My friends, my little brother, that kind of thing.”

“It’s fine. It was actually kind of cute,” Louis said, which caused her cheeks to redden.

“That’s not really what I was going for,” Clementine replied awkwardly, not sure how to take the compliment, “No one takes you seriously if you’re cute when you’re mad.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I know you could kick my ass in a heartbeat if you wanted to. Let’s just say, I don’t ever intend to get on your bad side.” She could tell he was mostly joking, but somehow she found it strangely flattering that he thought she was tough.

Before she could say anything, a pair of headlights coming up the driveway signaled her dad’s arrival. Clementine quickly pulled away from him and they stood at the same time. There was tension in the air as she turned to him and said, “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Louis.”

“Yeah, you too, Clem,” he replied softly, his face strangely serious as he stared down into her eyes.

It felt like there was more he wanted to say, but he didn’t, and she left. When she glanced in the mirror, she saw he was still standing on the steps, watching Lee’s car make its way down the driveway.

“How’d it go, sweet pea?” Lee asked her, reminding her that she wasn’t alone.

Instead of answering his question, Clementine said, “Thanks for being an awesome dad, Lee.”

He seemed a little startled by her strange non-sequitur, but he took the compliment, saying, “You’re welcome. I just try to do my best for you kids. You make me proud every day.”

“Well, you do a really great job at being our dad every day. I’m glad that they picked you to be our foster parent,” Clem told him, staring out the window.

In another universe, she might have been paired off with someone like Louis’s dad, and the thought made her shudder.


	14. Chapter 14

Though there were only two days between their study sessions, Louis did his best to apply the things that Clementine had taught him. He even went so far as to go back and redo a few of his old assignments. He hadn’t expected to get any credit on them, but he still needed them graded to make sure he’d gotten the answers right. When he presented his work to Ms. Taylor, she looked taken aback but had agreed to grade them anyway.

On Friday, she asked him to stay after, and gave him his redone assignments back. For once he was speechless when he saw that he’d managed to get a lot of the answers right. There were even a couple he had nearly aced.

“I’m impressed, Louis,” she told him, a proud smile on her face, “I have to admit, I was also surprised by your initiative. Obviously, I can only give you partial credit for these, but I can tell you’re on the right track now. Keep up the good work, okay?”

Louis nodded mutely, still shocked as he walked out of the classroom. He was so distracted that he nearly ran into Marlon, who was waiting for him in the hall.

“What’s that?” Marlon asked, reaching to grab the papers from him.

“Nothing!” Louis said, quickly stuffing the papers into his bag.

Marlon raised a brow at him and said, “It’s obviously something. Does it have anything to do with Ms. Taylor? She give you her number?”

“Gross, dude!” Louis exclaimed, “She just wanted to talk to be about my grade.”

“What? Are you failing or something?” Marlon joked.

“Almost,” Louis admitted, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hide the truth from his best friend forever.

“Whoa, seriously? Dude! Why didn’t you tell me?” Marlon asked, obviously concerned. Though he was about as studious as Louis, he always made sure to get at least a C in all of his classes. His reasoning: ‘I don’t want to be stuck in this hellhole a second longer than I have to.’ Sometimes that meant asking Brody for ‘help’ (doing his assignments for him), but most of the time he had it together enough to scrape by on his own.

“I only found out a week ago,” Louis shrugged, “But don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered.”

“How’s that? You paying some nerd to do your homework for you?”

That would have been the easy way out, and also right up Louis’s alley. If his dad hadn’t threatened the tutor, he may well have done that. As it was, this was somehow more rewarding. There was something nice in being encouraged to be better and actually rising to the challenge.

“No. Clementine is helping me study,” Louis told him as they rounded the corner.

A sly grin spread over Marlon’s face, and he asked, “Helping you study? Or studying your mouth with her mouth?”

Louis rolled his eyes all the way into the back of his skull and said, “It doesn’t always have to be about sex, dude.”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything about sex,” Marlon defended, then continued, “But damn, man! You’ve come a long way since you first met her.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You could barely talk to her without second guessing everything. Now you’re having private study sessions with her without begging me to tell you if it’s a good idea,” Marlon said, “So, the real question is, when are you gonna finally ask her out?”

Louis hadn’t really thought about it that way, but now that Marlon had pointed it out, it struck him that it had been getting easier to talk to her. Not as much as his friend seemed to think, but better than before. Still, he wasn’t convinced she wanted to go out with him, regardless of whether he was more comfortable around her.

“Maybe once she’s finished tutoring me. I can’t think of anything more awkward than being forced to study with someone who rejected you,” Louis said, cringing at the thought.

“Studying with someone you just dumped is way worse,” Marlon said with a shrug.

“Seriously?” Louis asked, his brows shooting up. Marlon had a decent number of girlfriends before he settled down with Brody, and he could just imagine which one of them he’d done that to.

“What can I say? When you know it’s over, you just don’t wait,” he laughed, adding, “We better get to class. Wanna hang after school?”

“Nah, tonight’s one of my study sessions with Clem,” Louis told him.

“Well, good luck then! Hope you score!” Marlon said, earning him a shoulder shove from Louis as he disappeared into his classroom.

After school he met Sophie in the parking lot where she was parked in her usual spot. For hers and Minnie’s 18th birthday, their parents had gotten them a car. Admittedly, it would have been nice if they could have each gotten their own, but her family didn’t have enough money to spring for two new vehicles. However, it seemed like they were all right with sharing, especially since they tended to do the same things and hang out with the same people.

“Hey Louis. Ready to go?” she asked him, her blue eyes lighting up when she saw him.

Minnie and Vi were already waiting in the car, with Minnie in the driver’s seat and Violet as her co-pilot. Sophie slid into the back seat with him, setting her bag on the floor and crossing her legs so that one of her feet was very close to his knee. He shifted his legs towards the door in response, not wanting to accidentally bump into her.

“So, how are things going with Clem?” Vi asked him, twisting so she could face him in the back.

“Fine,” Louis answered, unsure if he wanted to tell them about the tutoring.

“Just fine?” Sophie questioned from beside him.

“No new developments?” Violet added, raising a brow at him.

“Well…” Louis began, finally admitting, “We’ve been studying together lately.”

“Seriously?! When did that happen?” Violet exclaimed.

“Yeah, man! Give us those deets!” Minnie yelled from the driver’s seat.

“There aren’t that many ‘deets’ to give. I needed a math tutor, and she was nice enough to agree,” Louis shrugged, staring out the car window.

“And? Where are you studying? Her bedroom?” Vi said in a suggestive tone.

“No! We have to do it at my house,” Louis sighed, before adding pointedly “It, being the solving of algebraic equations. Not anything else.”

“You’re letting her hang out at your house?” Sophie asked, her eyes wide, “You never let any of us hang out with you there.”

“I guess Clem’s just more special than we are,” Minnie joked, “We should ask her what kind of secret things Louis is hiding in there. I bet she’s seen all kinds of shit.”

“Yeah, I bet the reason Louis doesn’t let us over is because he and his family are all secretly vampires,” Violet said, turning back around so she was the right way in her seat again.

“Or he has some kind of freaky BDSM sex dungeon he doesn’t want anyone to know about,” Minnie countered.

“Or maybe Louis just doesn’t like having people over and prefers to hang out elsewhere,” Louis interjected, his tone agitated.

Violet looked at Minnie and said, “Vampire sex dungeon?”

Minnie nodded sagely and agreed, “Vampire sex dungeon.”

Louis protested loudly, and the three of them bickered back and forth, with Minnie and Vi refusing to believe any other alternative than their ridiculous hypothesis. The entire time Sophie remained silent, staring out the window instead of joining their conversation. When he noticed she hadn’t said anything, he almost asked her what was wrong, but before he could they were at his house and he needed to leave.

Once he got inside, he quickly got to work setting up their study area. Louis realized that last time he hadn’t offered her any refreshments in spite of the fact that she’d been gracious enough to give him her time. So, he’d made sure to get some green tea he knew she’d like, along with snacks he thought she’d enjoy.

When that was finished, all he had to do was wait. To pass the time, he pulled out more of his old assignments to see if he could figure them out, but was too nervous to focus on the numbers. Instead, he stared out the window, waiting for Clem’s dad’s car to roll up his driveway.

~*~

Things had been strange for Clementine ever since hers and Louis’s last study session. She’d left his house feeling shaken by everything that had transpired. Though the behavior of Louis’s dad was what had rattled her the most, her revelation about her budding feelings for Louis was certainly a close second. This was not the path she’d intended to take with him, and although a part of her wanted to be excited, she knew it wasn’t meant to be. He liked Sophie after all. If she kept it up, this whole situation would wind up being Gabe 2.0.

Clementine was strong, but she didn’t want to endure that kind of disappointment again.

Of course, it would be difficult to avoid him now that she was tutoring him twice a week. And even harder since she’d impulsively encouraged him to study at her house instead of his. She’d just felt a strong need to protect him from his father and had done the first thing she could think of to make that happen.

As the school day was winding down, she made her way to the school parking lot with Ruby. Lee had a student request late office hours, so he wasn’t able to pick her up from school. He’d promised to be able to drop her off at Louis’s at least. Since she didn’t want to take the bus, she’d asked Ruby if her friend would be willing to driver her, and was grateful when she accepted.

“You got any big plans tonight? It’s Friday. You know, date night,” Ruby said with a grin, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively. She was still on her about getting over Gabe by dating someone else. Unfortunately, Clementine had inadvertently taken her advice with what would likely be disastrous results.

“I’m busy, but not with a date,” Clem said, rolling her eyes, “What about you?”

Ruby’s cheeks turned pink and she said, “Oh, Aasim and I were just going to study for our big biology test. It’s next Monday and it’s gonna be a doozy.”

“Oh yeah?” Clementine asked slyly, “Studying always makes me hungry. Maybe afterwards you guys should go to IHOP and grab a bite.”

“I don’t know…” Ruby said uncertainly, her cheeks darkening, “Someone might think we’re on a date or somethin’.”

Clementine was about to retort and ask her why that would be a bad thing when she saw Louis heading across the parking lot, too. She was about to call out to him when she saw him waving to Sophie and getting into a car with her. Her smile faded and her voice died her in her throat as she felt the familiar sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wondered where they were going together and what they’d be up to. Had he forgotten about their tutoring session?

“Do you think it’d be like a date?” Ruby asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

“Only if you wanted it to be,” Clem answered without thinking.

“Who says I want it to be a date?” Ruby exclaimed, her eyes wide as she rounded on Clementine.

She’d learned of the unspoken rule not to insinuate anything between Ruby and Aasim not that long ago and had forgotten all about it. They were both very sensitive about their feelings, likely because they were oblivious idiots who didn’t realize they liked each other. As such, it was important that they didn’t say a word to imply even the slightest hint of romance between the two of them.

“No one!” Clem backpedaled hastily, “I just meant that lots of people have dinner without it being a date. So it would only be a date if you guys decided it was. That’s all.”

“Like that would ever happen,” Ruby scoffed as she started walking again. When they finally reached her car, she pulled the door open and said, “He’d never be interested in a girl like me.”

Clem decided to tread lightly and said, “You’re great, Ruby. I don’t know why you think he wouldn’t be into you.”

Ruby shrugged as she started the car and began to back out the spot, saying, “Hair’s too red. Temper’s too short. Voice is too loud. I’m just too much, Clem.”

“That’s not true,” Clementine insisted, which earned her a look from Ruby, “Okay, sure, you can be a little irritable at times. But besides that, you’re great! Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

“Whatever you say, Clem,” Ruby sighed, her eyes focused on the road, “What we should be focused on is findin’ you someone, not me.”

They bickered back and forth until Ruby dropped her off at home, promising to text her a list of eligible partners and their phone numbers before the end of the night.

“It’s Friday night! You should be hangin’ out with someone who makes yer heart flutter, not yer little brother!” Ruby called after her out the passenger window.

Clementine rolled her eyes. If only she knew.

~*~

When Sophie got to her house, she immediately ran up to her room and began to pout. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake her stupid crush on Louis. After they’d fought and made up, she’d expected him to come to her for more advice on how to win Clementine over. However, he’d barely texted her at all besides the usual stuff (until he needed a ride home anyway, the jerk).

Now here he was, making secret plans with Clementine all on his own. He hadn’t even consulted her—or anyone else, it seemed—which showed her once and for all that her scheme had really failed. Though Minnie had encouraged her to get over Louis, she hadn’t really taken her sister’s advice seriously. Now it appeared she finally had to admit that it was over.

A knock at the door reminded her that she wasn’t alone, and Minnie pushed it open slowly, peeking around the corner and asking, “Soph?”

“What do you want?” Sophie asked petulantly.

“To check on you,” Minnie said, her brow raised as she came into the room fully.

“Shouldn’t you be busy with Violet or whatever?” Sophie said, not meeting her sister’s gaze. Minnie was lucky she’d met her soulmate so early on in life. Lucky, too, that her soulmate loved her back. Unlike Sophie, whose soulmate was in love with some other girl.

“She’s helping Tenn with his homework. She knows something’s up, but I won’t tell her your secret,” Minnie said, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Really?” Sophie asked, surprised. Minnie and Vi told each other everything.

“Of course. That’s, like, the first rule of Twin Code, remember?” Minnie said, referencing their special set of rules they came up with when they were kids and joined at the hip.

“I just don’t know what to do, Minnie,” Sophie whined, slumping back into her pillows, “All I wanted was for him to like me. Why can’t he just like me?”

“Because he likes Clementine,” Minnie reminded her gently.

“But why?! She’s so boring. All she does is study and hang out with her brother. And she doesn’t even dress cute or wear makeup,” Sophie ranted, shaking her head, “What does he see in her? What does she have that I don’t?”

Minnie seemed like she wanted to say something, but hesitated, which irritated Sophie.

“Well?” she asked impatiently.

“Look, you’re my sister and I love you, but I think you just don’t like Clementine because you’re jealous of her. Not because she’s as bad as you’re describing,” Minnie explained patiently, continuing, “She’s actually really nice and cares a lot about her friends. I think that if she ever started to like Louis she’d be good for him, you know?”

“No, I don’t know!” Sophie shouted, scowling at Minnie, “You’re supposed to be on my side! You’re supposed to say that I would be good for Louis and that he should date me!”

At that moment, a creak from the hallway outside the door alerted them that they weren’t alone. Minnie rose quickly and pulled the door open to reveal Violet standing in the hallway.

“I was just going to the bathroom,” she admitted awkwardly when they both stared at her.

Sophie groaned and slumped back into her pillows. This was the worst day ever.

“You have a crush on Louis?” Vi asked as she and Minnie sat back down on the bed.

“Yes,” Sophie admitted bitterly as she stared at the ceiling.

“For how long?” Violet inquired, apparently oblivious to how little Sophie wanted to talk about it.

“Does it matter? He doesn’t like me, obviously,” Sophie answered.

“Maybe he would have if you nutted up and asked him out before he met Clem,” Violet said, which earned her a scolding from Minnie. “What? It’s true. She waited too long and now she wants to be upset about it. You snooze you lose, Soph.”

“You’re being _such_ a bitch, Violet,” Sophie said, throwing a pillow at her which she caught easily.

“I’m just being honest, Sophie. When I met Minnie I didn’t hesitate, and now look where we are. You have to go after what you want,” Violet told her, launching the pillow back.

“So you’re saying I should go after him?” Sophie asked, sitting up and staring at Violet. She liked that advice much better than Minnie’s.

“No,” Violet said emphatically, “Because he’s just going to say no, and that’ll make everything awkward for everyone. Like I said, you snooze, you lose. You just gotta get over it and move on with your life.” With that, she rose off the bed and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Minnie asked after her.

“I told you I have to pee,” Vi stated with a shrug as she exited the room and shut the door.

“Your girlfriend is—” Sophie began before Minnie cut her off.

“Right. Even if she doesn’t know how to be nice about it,” Minnie finished for her, adding, “We love you, Sophie, and we’re here for you, but this thing you have for Louis is just holding you back.”

“But—”

“Just do what you have to do to get over him, okay? I’m going to go downstairs and hang out with Tenn and Vi. You’re welcome to join us whenever.”

After Minnie was gone and she was alone, Sophie continued to pout. Why couldn’t she just get her way? Her senior year was supposed to be a fairytale and instead it was turning into a nightmare.


	15. Chapter 15

Clementine was on edge as Lee drove up Louis’s driveway. The entire way to his house, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d be there. After she’d seen him get into Sophie’s car, she’d contemplated texting him to cancel. She didn’t want to stand in the way of his budding relationship after all. Plus, she didn’t think she’d be able to deal with the rejection and felt like calling off their plans on her own would be easier to handle.

A small part her held out hope that he’d be at his house, however, and she’d given in to that feeling instead of focusing on what was more logical.

“Have fun, sweet pea. Just text me when you’re ready to come home and I’ll come get you,” Lee said as she got out of the car.

Clementine waved at him, then walked up Louis’s front steps. After she knocked on the door, she held her breath, waiting for him and the inevitable crushing disappointment when he didn’t answer.

However, a moment later his shadow appeared in the glass. When the door swung open she saw him smiling down at her as he said, “It’s about time. What took you so long?”

Clem smiled back at him and cocked a brow, saying, “I’m not that late. Lee’s student just needed a lot more help than he expected.”

“Is your dad a teacher?” Louis asked as he stepped aside to let Clem in.

“A professor, actually,” Clementine corrected as she walked into his foyer. Once again, she was impressed with the size, still a little shocked that this was just part of Louis’s normal life.

“So that’s why you’re such a nerd,” Louis teased.

Clementine rolled her eyes and wanted to tell him that that was why _she_ was the tutor and _he_ was failing Algebra. Instead she said, “You act like that’s a bad thing.”

“Hey, I never said it was bad. Just stating a fact,” Louis retorted, his hands up in mock defense.

“Well, the fact is, my being a ‘nerd’ means you’re going to pass Algebra. I think, anyway. How’d it go since our last tutoring session?” she asked as she set her bag on his massive dining room table.

“Oh, I don’t know. How about amazing? Booyah!” he said, dropping his papers in front of her.

“What are these?” Clem asked, picking them up and flipping through them. They looked like old assignments, but they all had much better grades next to the failing ones.

“Let’s just say I took your advice seriously for once,” Louis told her as he sat next to her, “I went back and re-did a few of the assignments I failed. I gave them to Ms. Taylor to grade and she actually gave me half credit for them.”

“Seriously?!” Clem exclaimed, her eyes darting up to meet his. Mr. Simmons would have laughed in her face if she’d brought him old assignments, and he _never_ would have given her partial credit.

“Seriously,” Louis said with a nod, “I was just as surprised as you. I guess she likes me.” He added a wink, which made Clem roll her eyes all the way back into her skull.

“Whatever you say,” Clementine replied, sliding the papers back over to him, “But hey, at least you’ve got more proof that I’m making a difference. Convincing your dad should be a lot easier now.”

“We’ll see about that,” Louis shrugged. Apparently he wasn’t totally convinced at Clementine’s persuasive powers, which might be an indicator at how good they actually were.

“In the meantime we should probably keep studying. You have a test coming up next week, don’t you?” Clem asked, pulling out her school stuff.

“Don’t remind me,” Louis groaned, “Just thinking about it is stressing me out. I always freeze up and forget everything on tests.”

“Well, let’s just make sure we really drill all these formulas into your brain then,” Clementine said, sliding over the study materials so they could get to work.

They spent the next couple hours going over the different things that would be on the test. She gave him example problems to solve, and wouldn’t move on to another subject until she was satisfied that he fully understood the math. Clementine also tried to teach him some memory tricks so that if he really did blank everything out during the test, he could turn to those for help.

“Yeah, but what happens if I forget the memory tricks? You got any memory tricks for remembering memory tricks?” Louis asked, clearly still psyching himself out.

Clementine laughed and replied, “Look, you just need to relax. What helps you unwind?”

“Playing the piano,” Louis answered automatically, “But I don’t think Ms. Taylor will let me bring a keyboard into the classroom.”

“Maybe you should just imagine you’re playing the piano. Like, put your fingers on the desk and ‘play’ a song or something,” Clem suggested with a shrug.

Louis snorted and said, “Yeah, because that wouldn’t make me look like a lunatic.”

“I’m pretty sure everyone will be too focused on their test to be watching what you’re doing,” Clementine said as she rolled her eyes.

“Honestly I could use a little time tickling the ivories right now. If you’re up for it, that is,” Louis said, giving her his signature grin.

“What? You want me to watch you play piano?”

“No. I want to _teach_ you how to play the piano.”

“Not a chance. Music isn’t exactly my forte,” Clem told him with a shake of her head.

“And math isn’t exactly _my_ forte. But you showed me that with the right teacher anything is possible. Come on,” Louis said, rising and extending his hand to her.

Clementine hesitated, saying, “Shouldn’t we keep studying? What if your dad walks in? It probably won’t help our argument if we’re just messing around.”

Louis shrugged and said, “Yeah, he won’t be home for at least another hour so we have plenty of time. Plus I think it’s time we evened the score a little. Let the student become the master and vice versa.”

Clem wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but she didn’t want to disappoint him, so she reached out and put her hand in his, allowing him to pull her from her chair.

“That’s the spirit! Follow me. The piano room is this way,” Louis said, dropping her hand as he led her through the house.

“I thought you said you ruined your piano,” Clementine remarked as she remembered the story he told her in front of the 7-11. It felt like so much time had passed since then, even though it hadn’t been that long. She wondered if that was what it was like when you started really falling for someone.

“I ruined my _old_ piano. My dad replaced it, but it’s not the same,” Louis explained, a dark cloud passing over his face, “The one I wrecked was my grandpa’s. I begged him not to burn it, but what can you do? It _was_ ‘stinking up’ the library after all.”

“Louis, I’m so sorry,” Clem said, giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have tried to play the piano when I was trashed,” Louis laughed, though it didn’t quite meet his eyes, “Anyway, the new one does the job just fine. Have a seat.”

He gestured into a room that was larger than her living room and kitchen combined. There were shelves upon shelves lining the walls, all filled with books that looked like a mixture of new and old. A fireplace sat prominently against one wall, across from which were several plush armchairs. The centerpiece of the room, however, was the grand piano which gleamed in the low light that spilled in through the windows. It had clearly been cared for well, and Clem had a feeling Louis had learned his lesson after all.

“Come on, it’s not gonna bite you,” Louis said, putting his hands on her shoulders and steering her to the piano.

“I know that,” Clementine replied as she swatted his hands away, “I was just taking in the view. This room is nicer than my entire house.”

Louis rolled his eyes and said, “Stop trying to use my house as a distraction. I’m going to teach you how to play something, even if it is just ‘ _Twinkle Twinkle Little Star._ ’”

She sat down at the bench, staring apprehensively at the multitude of black and white keys in front of her. Clem couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Louis felt when he stared at the numbers and equations she shoved in front of him. Maybe it was a good thing he’d suggested this after all.  
  


“First thing’s first: do you know anything about playing piano?” Louis said from beside her, sitting close to her on the bench which seemed much smaller now that they were both on it.

“I know you use your fingers to push the keys, and that makes sound come out. The rest is a mystery,” Clem admitted with a sheepish smile.

“Well, at least you know the basic mechanics. I can work with that,” Louis replied and gave her a wink.

He reached over and grasped her hands lightly, causing her cheeks to flush. She was about to ask him what he was doing when he placed her fingers over a set of keys which she assumed were important. Louis explained that these were the major keys, and taught her where each one was as well as the note it corresponded to on the sheet music in front of them.

“That looks way more complicated than ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’” Clementine remarked. Her eyes grew wide as she looked over the myriad of notes dancing their way across the staff.

Louis chuckled and said, “Don’t worry. That’s just something I started working on in my spare time. I won’t torture you by making you play it.”

“You write your own music?” Clem asked. Playing was one thing, but actually coming up with an original piece? She was impressed.

“Uh, yeah. It’s not anything special,” he rushed out, quickly gathering the papers and stuffing them in between some other music books he had underneath the bench, “Let’s just focus on getting you playing.”

“No way. Not until you play that song,” Clementine insisted, reaching under the bench to get the sheets.

“You _really_ don’t want to hear it. It’s not even finished,” Louis said as he grabbed the pages from her.

“So? You can’t just say you wrote a song and then expect me to not want to hear it.”

“Fine,” Louis sighed after a moment, “But only because you asked so nicely. Oh wait, you didn’t ask nicely. You _demanded_ nicely.”

“Whatever,” Clem laughed with a roll of her eyes, “Just play the song.”

“As the lady commands,” Louis said in his terrible English accent.

Once he started playing, her attention was fixed entirely on him. The goofy guy that she knew transformed in front of her eyes as Louis seemed to become one with the instrument he played. Music surrounded them, almost as though it flowed straight from his fingers. The song was filled with emotion, sounding a little sad and a little hopeful all at once. It amazed her that something so beautiful could come from someone who so often seemed not to take things seriously. It showed her a different side of him, one she’d only had glimpses of here and there.

When it ended abruptly, the spell that had been cast over them was broken. Clementine shook her head, reminding herself to close her mouth as it had been hanging open for the duration of the song. Her heart raced in her chest, as she was starting to come to the realization that she was in much deeper than she’d initially thought.

“So, what’d you think? Not exactly Tchaikovsky, I know, but not a complete piece of shit either, right?” Louis asked her, his eyes unsure when he finally looked at her.

“Louis, that was incredible,” Clem answered honestly, still a little awe-struck.

“Aww, come on. You’re gonna make me blush,” he joked, shifting on the bench.

“Seriously. You’re really talented, Louis,” Clementine insisted as she leaned towards him, “Don’t sell yourself short.”

He turned back to her, and that’s when she realized just how close their faces had become. In all her earnestness, she’d leaned in farther than she’d meant to. Louis’s eyes were wide as he stared down at her, obviously surprised at her proximity. It reminded her a lot of what happened at Halloween, and she knew she needed to move away from him now before she embarrassed herself again.

However, a moment later Louis put his hand over hers where it sat on the bench. She glanced down, then locked eyes with him again as he seemed to be moving closer to her. Clementine could almost swear that he meant to kiss her, but the sound of the garage door opening cut short whatever might have been.

“Shit! Dad’s home early. Better get back to studying,” Louis said, rising and shuffling her back to the dining room. Luckily they could pick up right where they left off since Clem had never actually cleaned up any of their materials.

They pretended to be deep into their work so that when Louis’s dad walked in he’d have no idea that Louis had just been giving her a piano lesson.

When he came into the room, he looked almost surprised to see her there and said to Louis, “Oh. She’s still tutoring you?”

“It’s only been a few days, Dad,” Louis replied with a shake of his head.

“I just assumed with the way she left the other day that she was finished with you. Not that I’d blame her of course—” Mr. Morgan began.

Clementine cut him off, saying, “Actually, Louis has been doing a really good job. I couldn’t ask for a better student.”

His dad raised a brow at her and said, “I have to say, that’s the first time I’ve heard that. Countless parent-teacher conferences would suggest otherwise.”

“Maybe he just didn’t have the right teachers,” Clem shot back, “Look, he’s already getting his grade up.”

She grabbed the assignments he’d re-done and slid them across the table. Mr. Morgan looked skeptical as he approached the papers and picked them up. However, his expression changed as he flipped through them and saw the new grades, as well as the encouraging note from Ms. Taylor on the last one.

He paused for a moment, then looked at Louis and said, “I’ll admit, I’m impressed. This is the first time in a while I’ve seen you show such initiative.”

“I can’t take all the credit,” Louis shrugged, not meeting his dad’s gaze. Apparently he wasn’t used to hearing praise from his dad.

“True. I’m glad to see that someone is finally getting through to you,” Mr. Morgan said, dropping the papers back to the table.

Clementine wanted to argue, but Louis put his hand on her leg under the table, indicating to her that she shouldn’t say anything. Though the gesture wasn’t meant as anything more than a silent signal, she still felt the heat of a blush creep onto her cheeks.

“You’re right. Clementine is doing a great job of showing me what it means to actually take school seriously,” Louis began, “Her dad is a professor, which is probably why she’s so smart and disciplined. I could probably learn a lot more from her if we could keep up our tutoring sessions.”

At that, Louis’s dad raised a brow and said, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you see, Clem’s dad was fine with our tutoring sessions until he found out that it was just the two of us alone in the house. He’s really protective of her and doesn’t approve of her tutoring me unsupervised,” Louis explained. It was a more plausible lie than she had come up with, and Clementine got the feeling this wasn’t the first time Louis had concocted a story to get what he wanted.

“Is that true, Clementine?” Mr. Morgan asked, addressing her for the first time.

Clementine nodded and tried to look sad as she said, “Yeah. I told him Louis isn’t that kind of guy, but since they’ve never met he won’t change his mind. He said this would have to be our last tutoring session. Unless, of course, you wouldn’t mind if we had them at my house.”

“Your house?”

“Yeah. His class load is a little lighter on Wednesdays and Fridays, so he would be home while we were working on our homework. He just wants to make sure nothing bad happens to his little girl,” Clementine improvised, following Louis’s lead.

“I can’t say I’m thrilled with the idea,” Mr. Morgan said, his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“It’s fine,” Clementine sighed dramatically, “I just really wanted to see Louis reach his full potential. But I understand if you would rather switch tutors, even if they might not be able to get through to him in the way that I can.”

She saw Louis’s dad narrow his eyes a little and wondered if she’d pushed it too far. However a moment later he sighed and said, “Fine. But if he gets less than 100% on even a single assignment, I’ll be finding him a different tutor.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. With Clementine I’ll become a math genius in no time,” Louis said, slapping her on the back. She got the feeling this was a front, but decided to play along.

“You don’t have to worry about a thing, Mr. Morgan,” Clementine nodded, though she was a little concerned herself. If the work he’d done on his past assignments was any indication, then he’d be fine, but the new material would likely prove to be more challenging. They would really have to buckle down to make sure he aced his homework and his upcoming tests.

“We’ll see,” was all Louis’s dad had to say. He retreated to his office where he would be for the rest of the night.

“That went well,” Louis said when he was certain his dad was out of earshot, “Too bad I’ll only have one study session at your house before I fuck up an assignment.”

“Don’t think like that,” Clem scolded, “You’re doing way better than you were before. You just need to keep it up. Besides, how often is your dad going to check your grades anyway?” Lee pretty much never asked to see her homework. Then again, she hadn’t had trouble in school for a long time.

“You’ve got a point there,” Louis admitted with a nod, “He pretty much doesn’t pay attention to me unless he wants to remind me that I’m disappointing him.”

Clementine felt the same anger from before flare up in her chest as she thought about the damage that Louis’s father was doing to his self-esteem. She did her best to keep her voice even as she said, “Well, no matter what anyone else thinks, you should know that I’m proud of you. You’re obviously working really hard, and it’s paying off. So don’t give up, okay?”

Louis’s eyes were wide with surprise as he stared into her own. It seemed that he didn’t hear that often enough, and Clem decided she would rectify that, even if it meant telling him every day.

“Uh, thanks, Clem,” he eventually said, his cheeks a rosy color, “I promise I won’t let you down.”

“Don’t do it for me, Louis. Do it for you,” Clementine reminded him, “You’re worth it.” She realized she was speaking from the heart and perhaps edging a little too close to her feelings for him. Rather than let the situation become awkward, she quickly changed the subject, adding, “Now, let’s get back to it. We still have some work to do.”

Louis nodded quietly and they went back to studying. She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d crossed a line. If she had, she decided she didn’t care as long as it helped Louis see beyond the image of him that his dad had created in his mind. She wanted Louis to see himself the way that she saw him, and if that meant being honest at her own expense then so be it.

Eventually it was time for her to leave, so Clementine sent a quick text to Lee and began to gather up her belongings. Louis was unusually quiet, which made things more awkward than she cared to admit.

“So,” Clem began in order to fill the silence, “We should meet at the front doors on Wednesday. That’s where Lee usually picks me up. You can ride home with us, since you still don’t have your car.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Louis nodded, his eyes far away.

“Well, I’m going to wait outside. I’ll see you Monday?” Clementine said, giving him a small wave. It was a cold night, but she felt like she needed to give Louis his space. Plus, she’d rather not stand around in awkward silence. The comfortable, chilly silence of the outdoors sounded much more preferable.

“Sure,” Louis replied with another nod.

His lack of response started to make her heart feel constricted as the fingers of anxiety wrapped themselves around it. The last thing she wanted was to push him away, and she felt like maybe she’d done just that. It was also possible, though less likely, that he had guessed she had a crush on him. Both possibilities were mortifying in their own way, and would also both result in the loss of their friendship. Even if he never liked her back in the way she liked him, she still wanted to be friends.

“Hey Clem?” Louis said suddenly when she had her hand on the door handle. Clementine turned around to look at him and found him smiling at her softly as he said, “Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” she answered, returning his smile for a moment before she exited the house.

As she stood on the front steps, she felt her heart stuttering out a fluttering rhythm in her chest. The way he’d been looking at her made her feel warm all over, and she almost wanted to pull the door open, march up to him, and kiss him. The less logical part of her brain asked her why she cared if he liked Sophie anyway? It was just a crush and feelings could change.

The more rational part of her brain interrupted that train of thought and told her that it wasn’t her place to get in the middle of those two. Besides, the odds of him forgetting his feelings for someone else in favor of someone he barely knew were slim to none. She didn’t need to set herself up for disappointment again. What she needed to do was stop indulging herself in fantasies of him returning her feelings or of the two of them kissing. It was a road she’d been down before, and those who didn’t learn from their mistakes were only doomed to repeat them. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

Lee’s car eventually appeared soon after, and it was only when she was on her way home that she realized the situation she’d created: her dad meeting her crush.

Not only would Lee figure out her feelings—much like he had with Gabe—but he would definitely try to play matchmaker, and he would _definitely_ want to interrogate Louis.

All she could do was pray that next week wouldn’t turn out to be a total disaster, though the feeling in her gut told her otherwise.


	16. Chapter 16

As soon as Clementine was gone, Louis walked back to the library to continue composing the song that he’d been working on. The way she’d made him feel tonight would make it easy, since he’d written the song about her. He still felt like he couldn’t act on his feelings just yet, so writing music for her was the only way he could work through the massive crush he’d developed on her.

His heart had been beating so fast when he’d played it in front of her that Louis had almost been afraid she’d hear it over the music. Her reaction afterwards hadn’t helped it calm down either. Clem’s compliments had caught him off guard, especially since he’d never actually shown anyone any of his original music. The fact that she liked a song he’d written specifically for her had overwhelmed him in a way he couldn’t describe. Hell, he’d almost kissed her because he’d been so caught up in the moment.

The compliments hadn’t stopped coming either. Louis didn’t know if it was true, or if her comments about him being the best student she’d ever had were for his dad’s benefit. What he did know was that her telling him she was proud of him had been completely genuine and totally for him. Truth be told, he couldn’t remember the last time someone had told him that besides his mom and his grandpa. It stirred something inside of him that had made him uncomfortable and happy all at the same time.

Was this what it was like to be seen? For so long he’d hidden behind the front of the ‘funny guy’ or the ‘goofy guy’ or the ‘guy who did the hardest dares.’ Everything he’d done had been loud, over the top, and most importantly a distraction from the person he really was inside. Though he’d known his friends for a long time, most of them didn’t try to see behind the facade. The only people who did were Marlon and Violet, and even then they didn’t push too far below the surface.

With Clementine it was so different. It was like she could see right through him to the sensitive, scared kid he was underneath it all. He imagined that it probably helped that she saw his relationship with his dad up close and personal. That hadn’t been something he wanted, but somehow he was grateful for it anyway. Even Marlon hadn’t seen the way his dad talked to him, at least not for a long time. It was almost a relief to know that there was not only someone who knew what he had to live with, but was also in his corner and willing to defend him.

It was a lot to process, and he hadn’t really been able to put his feelings into words. The only thing he’d been able to say to her before she left was a simple thank you. Louis knew it wasn’t enough, and that was what had compelled him to take his feelings to the piano instead. When the song was finished, he’d play it for her again, and tell her that it was for her. Maybe that would be enough.

“Louis,” his dad’s voice came, interrupting his thoughts, “Shouldn’t you be studying?”

“Dad, I just studied for the last four hours,” Louis sighed and turned to where he stood in the doorway, “Can’t you just let me have this one?”

He wasn’t sure if it was the cloud of defeat that hung over him, or if it was just because he’d asked nicely, but a moment later his dad conceded, saying, “Fine. You can have one hour.”

“Thank you,” Louis stated as he fought to roll his eyes. One hour. How generous.

He continued working on his music, completely oblivious to the fact that his father was still lingering in the doorway. Louis only noticed that he hadn’t left when William actually walked into the room and stood by the piano. He didn’t like being watched, and started to squirm as his dad eyed him curiously.

“What are you playing?” he asked suddenly, surprising Louis.

“Uh…” Louis replied, unsure if he should share. Then again, this was the first time his dad had ever taken an interest in his piano playing. “It’s actually an original piece.”

William’s brows shot up and he said, “You write your own music?”

That was the second time someone had asked him that today, but the tone he used was much different from Clementine’s. It was almost as though he couldn’t believe Louis was capable of doing anything other than screwing up.

“Yeah, sometimes,” Louis shrugged as he started to close himself off again. If a door had been opened between them, it had only been just a crack, and William’s tone was enough to shut it once more.

“I never knew that,” his dad said softly.

“If I could play the piano more than once a month, you probably would,” Louis remarked, unable to keep the acidity out of his voice.

“Perhaps you’d be allowed to play more if you had better grades,” William shot back, returning to the same, cold man that Louis was used to.

“I’m working on it, Dad,” Louis muttered as he refocused on playing his music.

“We’ll see if it makes a difference,” his dad replied as he left the room.

Louis tried to comfort himself by imagining what Clem would say: ‘ _It’ll definitely make a difference you pompous ass. Louis is smarter than you or anyone else gives him credit for._ ’

If only that were true.

The encounter with his dad soured his mood, but he pushed himself to keep working on the song since he was almost done with it. He knew it would need more polishing, of course, but for now it was as close to finished as it would be until he worked up the nerve to play it for her. The only thing it needed now was a name. Louis decided that since he’d written it for Clementine, he would wait until she heard it and let her decide. It only seemed fitting.

The rest of the week seemed to slow to a crawl as Louis eagerly and anxiously awaited his next study session with Clem. He’d never met her dad, but figured that since he already had AJ and Clementine’s seal of approval, the battle was halfway won. Plus, the rest of his friends’ parents seemed to like him just fine, so he assumed Lee would as well.

When the day finally came around, Louis quickly made his way to the front of the school, only to be intercepted by Sophie.

“Hey, Lou. Still need a ride home?” she asked as she twirled a lock of her hair around her finger.

“Actually I’m going to study at Clem’s house tonight. Thanks anyway, Soph,” Louis replied, brushing by her to make sure he wasn’t late. He imagined punctuality was important to a professor.

“So what, are you just going to walk there?” she insisted and fell into step with him.

“No, her dad is picking us up,” Louis said, then asked, “Hey, do you think this outfit says ‘I’m a respectable young man worthy of your daughter?’” Underneath his grandpa’s coat he wore a navy turtleneck sweater and a pair of light gray jeans, along with his nicest pair of sneakers.

Sophie gave him a once over, then shrugged and answered, “I guess. The shoes are a little much though, don’t you think?”

“What are you talking about? They’re Versace!” Louis exclaimed, eyeing the shoes uncertainly.

“Yeah, and her family isn’t exactly rich. Talk about flaunting your wealth,” Sophie said before she turned down a different hallway and called, “Good luck! I hope your shoes don’t ruin everything!”

Shit. Fuck. What was he thinking?

Well, it was too late now. He’d have to live with his stupid fucking decision.

When he stepped outside, he saw Clementine sitting on a bench waiting for him. As soon as she spotted him, she waved him over. Louis could almost swear she was happy to see him, but he figured it was just because she didn’t want to be alone.

“Hey! Ready to get your study on?” she asked in an uncharacteristically bright tone.

“What’s up with you?” Louis replied, raising a brow at her.

“I’m just psyched to teach you some Algebra, that’s all,” Clem said, still in the strange high-pitched voice.

“Yeah, I don’t think so. Spit it out, Clem.”

“Spit what out?”

“Whatever’s bothering you, obviously. Otherwise I’ll have to resort to some improvisational comedy to get you to talk.”

Clementine looked like she wanted to keep up the act, but dropped it a second later as she sighed and explained, “You weren’t wrong about my dad being kind of protective of me. I’m not gonna lie, he’s probably going to give you the third degree. But don’t think it means he doesn’t like you, okay? In fact, if he doesn’t ask you anything, take _that_ as a sign he doesn’t like you.”

“So you’re saying I should expect the Spanish Inquisition?” Louis said as he tried to quell the feeling of dread that settled over him.

“Basically. But like I said, it’s a good thing,” Clementine told him as a car pulled up, “Here he is now. Just act like your normal self, and I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Well, my normal self is the guy who broke into your basement, and when that happened you said he’d kick my ass,” Louis reminded her quietly as they approached the vehicle.

“Oh yeah. Well, then be Louis, but the kind of Louis who doesn’t break into people’s houses. Then you’ll be just fine,” Clem said with a smirk as she got into the passenger seat.

Louis got into the back seat and looked up to see Lee staring at him in the rearview mirror. From what he could tell, Lee was younger than he’d previously thought. There weren’t as many lines around his eyes, which were dark and boring into him with the intensity of a thousand white hot suns.

“Hey there. I’m Clementine’s dad, Lee. You must be the young man she’s been tutoring,” Lee said, turning around to face him now. Louis saw that he had a neatly trimmed beard, along with a close cropped haircut, much like he would expect of a professor. However, he wasn’t wearing glasses, and didn’t seem nearly as dusty as Louis would have imagined.

“Yeah, I am. The name’s Louis. Louis Morgan,” he said, extending his hand for a handshake.

Lee’s face was a mixture of surprised and impressed as he took Louis’s hand and gave it a firm shake, saying, “It’s nice to meet you. Clementine hasn’t told me a lot about her new friends. In fact, you’re the only one of them she’s asked over besides Ruby and Sophie.”

“Oh really?” Louis asked, a smirk on his face, “The gang will be so disappointed to know that you don’t talk us up to your dad.”

“Hey, I said you guys were really nice and fun. I just don’t brag about you as individuals since there are way too many of you,” Clementine told him defensively.

“Whatever! There’s only Marlon, Brody, Ruby, Violet, Minnie, Sophie, Aasim, Mitch, and Omar. And me, of course,” Louis said, laughing as Lee’s eyebrows rose higher with each name.

“That’s a lot of people! It’s nice to see you expanding your social circle some, Clementine. Back at home she only had three friends,” Lee told him as he put the car in drive and started to head towards the elementary school.

“Three very close friends,” Clem amended, turning to face Louis, “I swear I’m not as big a loser as he making it sound like.”

“No one said you were a loser, sweet pea! I just think it’s important for a young person to get a variety of perspectives, and you clearly have that with your new group of friends,” Lee said, though Louis stopped paying attention the moment he heard Clem’s nickname.

Louis had to do his best not to yell ‘sweet pea’ as loud as possible at Clem. She was clearly embarrassed that Lee had called her that by the way her cheeks were currently on fire. She was also staring Louis down with a look that said ‘don’t you dare.’ If Lee hadn’t been there, he definitely would have dared.

Instead, he filed it away in the back of his mind to call her later when he needed to tease her.

“So, Louis, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do?” Lee asked him, bringing his attention back to the present.

“Well, I like to play the piano,” Louis told him. That seemed like the least sensitive topic to discuss if her dad was really intent on getting to know him.

“Is that right? I’m impressed. The closest I’ve ever gotten to playing an instrument was using a kazoo when I was a kid,” Lee said, a warm smile on his face, “Does your family play, too?”

“My grandpa did. He’s the one who taught me.”

“And what about your mom and dad? Do they play any instruments?” Lee asked him, his eyes flicking back to him in the rearview mirror.

“My mom liked to sing,” Louis said without thinking, the memory of his mother’s voice floating through his mind. He remembered where he was a moment later, and shook his head, adding, “My dad, on the other hand, is not so musically inclined.”

“Do you and your mom do any duets together?” Lee continued. He really was giving Louis the third degree, though not at all in the way he expected.

Louis struggled with his words, unsure of whether or not he should admit the truth. It skirted too close to all the things he hated feeling, and he didn’t want to think about that. Not when he was trying to make a good impression on Clementine’s dad.

“No, we don’t. She, uh, passed away when I was younger. Before I knew how to play the piano, even,” Louis finally admitted, which caused Lee’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up painful memories,” Lee said in an attempt to recover the conversation, “Let’s talk about something else. How about your favorite food?”

Louis thought the change of topic was a bit of a non-sequitur, but he was glad for it nonetheless. “Actually, I love pineapple pizza.”

“That’s Clem’s favorite,” Lee said with a smile, “Sounds like we’re settled on dinner then.”

“Oh, I couldn’t impose like that,” Louis insisted, though his prospects for dinner otherwise weren’t that great.

“You’re not imposing! Besides, my students at the university say pizza is the perfect food for studying,” Lee told him with a wink as they pulled up outside the elementary school.

“We’re picking up AJ,” Clementine explained, though Louis had suspected as much.

“Now, Clementine’s brother can be a little rambunctious, so don’t mind him. If he gets too be too much, don’t be afraid to let him know. We’re still working on boundaries.”

“You don’t have to worry about a thing, Mr. Everett. ‘Rambunctious’ is my middle name,” Louis chuckled, adding, “Besides, I’ve already met AJ. He’s one cool little dude.”

“Oh?” Lee asked, raising a brow at Clementine.

“We bumped into Louis when we were shopping for Halloween costumes,” Clementine said, a light flush to her cheeks.

Lee nodded giving Clementine a look he couldn’t quite decipher. Before anyone could say anything else the back door opened and AJ clambered inside the car.

The moment he set eyes on Louis he grinned a mile wide and said, “Louis! I can’t believe you’re here! Did you want to play Disco Broccoli with me?”

“Sorry, bud. I’ve gotta study with your sister. No fun allowed for this guy,” Louis said with a sad smile.

“But studying is so boring! We could play video games instead, if you don’t want to play Disco Broccoli” AJ suggested excitedly.

Louis noticed that Lee seemed ready to scold AJ and interceded, saying, “You know what, little man? I’m going to be coming over to study on Friday, too. When Clem and I are finished, I’ll stay later just to hang out with you. Sound good?”

“Really?” AJ asked him, his eyes wide.

“Really. If you’re down with it, that is,” Louis nodded.

“Yeah! I can’t wait!” AJ yelled, bouncing up and down in his seat.

Louis glanced up and saw that Lee had been staring at him in the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable. When they locked eyes, Lee looked away, and he wondered if he’d overstepped his bounds. It _was_ kind of weird for an older kid to offer to hang out with a ten year old, though he hadn’t meant it to be strange. In a way, he thought of AJ as the little brother he would have liked to have had. Plus he hated to disappoint the kid, since he seemed so excited to see Louis.

Lee turned the conversation to AJ then, asking him questions about school. That left Louis a little time to relax now that he was no longer under Lee’s scrutiny. Every so often he would notice Clem glance back at him, then quickly look away, and he wondered what she was thinking. Maybe she, too, thought it was weird that he offered to hang out with AJ. He supposed he’d find out when they got a chance to be alone.

When they pulled up outside of her place, he finally got a good look at her house. Both times he’d been there before it had been dark. Now in the light of day, he could see that it was nice and probably an ideal place for a couple of kids to grow up. He almost envied Clementine in that moment, but shook the feeling quickly. After all, his circumstances were much better than most kids had it. He had no right to be envious of anyone.

The four of them made their way up the walk and onto the small front porch. From there, it was through into the foyer where Louis took off his ridiculous sneakers and hoped no one would notice them.

Thankfully, no one said anything about them. Instead, Clementine turned to him and said, “I’ll give you the tour. It’s only fair.”

“All right. Where to first?”

“How about upstairs?”

“How about I join you guys for that part?” Lee interjected.

“I wanna come, too!” AJ exclaimed.

“Okay then,” Clem sighed, seeming a little irritated, “Everybody upstairs.”

With that, they all climbed the stairs together and wound up on the landing. From there, Clem showed him where the bathroom was, along with AJ’s room, Lee’s room (which they didn’t enter at his insistence), and finally her room.

“It’s a little messy,” she said, closing the door quickly. He saw clothes everywhere and wondered how such an orderly person could have such an untidy room.

“A little messy? I didn’t even see the floor,” Louis joked, smirking at her.

Clementine rolled her eyes and said, “It looks about as clean as your room.”

“You’ve seen his bedroom?” Lee questioned, his brow raised.

“Yeah, I gave her a quick tour of my place the first time she came over to tutor me,” Louis explained hastily.

Lee just hummed and didn’t say anything else. He could tell the man’s protective dad instincts were kicking in, and hoped that didn’t mean he’d completely fucked up his first impression. Louis had no idea what else he could say that would make Lee feel better about the fact that Clem had seen his room.

Instead, he remained silent as they made their way back downstairs where she showed him the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen.

“The basement is that way,” Clem said, pointing to the stairs, a secret smile on her face.

“I imagine there’s nothing too interesting down there,” Louis nodded, returning her grin.

“Nope. Just the washer and dryer. And a bunch of boxes,” Clem replied.

“Well, I’d better let you guys get to it,” Lee said suddenly, interrupting their conversation, “I’ll be working in the living room if you need me. AJ, why don’t you work on your homework in the living room, too?”

“But I want to study with Louis and Clem,” AJ argued, “I know stuff. I could help them.”

“I don’t doubt that, AJ,” Lee said, putting his hand on AJ’s shoulder, “But I think Louis would learn better one-on-one.”

AJ pouted, but agreed reluctantly and followed Lee to the living room. That left Clementine and Louis alone in the kitchen.

“We can set up shop in the dining room,” she said, turning and heading that direction.

Louis followed behind her and said, “You’ve got a nice place. It’s homey.”

“That’s just a polite way of saying it’s small,” Clem snorted as she dropped their study materials to the table, “Especially when compared to your house.”

“Well, if you haven’t noticed, my house is a little big for the number of occupants it currently has,” Louis reminded her, “I’d take a house like yours any day of the week. Except make it purple. Then we’ll be in business.”

“Even with my annoying brother and my annoying dad?” Clementine asked him.

“What do you mean ‘annoying?’ Lee and AJ are awesome,” Louis exclaimed loud enough to make Clem shush him.

“AJ’s been asking about you ever since Halloween. He’s totally obsessed with you. And Lee is doing his usual helicopter parent thing that he always does. You really think that’s awesome?” she questioned with a raised brow.

“Well, what can I say? I’m a pretty great guy. It’s only natural that AJ would look up to me,” Louis said with a smug smile. Deep down he was touched that AJ had taken such a shine to him, but he’d never admit it. “And dads are overbearing—well most of them anyway. It’s just what they do. I can’t blame him for wanting to protect his _sweet pea_.”

Clem’s shoulders tensed as soon as the words left his lips, and she fixed him with the most menacing glare she’d ever given him. “If you ever tell anyone about that, I swear it’ll be the last thing you do,” she told him in a low, threatening voice.

Louis laughed in her face and said, “Yeah, I know. I just had to tease you one time. You have my word that my lips are sealed…sweet pea.” At that, Clem tossed her pencil at him, which only made Louis laugh more.

“Sorry, sorry,” Louis apologized between chuckles, “I promise that was the last one!”

“Do you swear?” Clem asked him with a scowl.

“Yes, I swear. I’ll even pinky swear if it’ll make you feel better,” Louis said as his laughter finally subsided. He held out his little finger to her, and felt his heart rate increase as she wrapped hers around it and sealed the deal.

“Now that that’s out of the way, can we finally start studying?” Clem said, her exasperation evident.

“Yes, ma’am. Let’s hit the books! Though not literally, of course,” Louis said, earning himself another look from Clem, though he could see the hint of a smile at the corners of her lips.

For the next couple hours the two of them spent time working on everything that was coming up on his test. It was on Friday, and Louis still didn’t really feel prepared. Clem had done her best with him the week before, but he feared it wouldn’t be enough. The memory tricks she had taught him were useful, but he was nervous that they, much like the formulas he’d need to know, would be forgotten come test day.

The good news was now that he was actually paying attention in class and doing the practice problems, he was finally starting to understand Algebra. He hoped that would be enough to at least get him a C on the test. It wouldn’t be enough to stop his dad from firing Clem as his tutor, but it might be enough to get his overall grade to a more acceptable level. That would at least get him his car back.

Every so often Lee would come through the dining room, usually with the excuse that he was grabbing a cup of coffee or a snack for AJ from the kitchen. Louis had a feeling he was just checking up on them, but he appreciated that her dad wasn’t being too obvious about it. Whenever they made eye-contact, Lee made sure to give him a friendly smile, which helped to put Louis at ease. Even if he was protective of Clementine, Louis had a feeling that Lee didn’t totally hate him, which was a step in the right direction.

Some time later the doorbell rang, and Lee called, “Dinner’s here kids!”

“This is about as good a place as any to call it,” Clem said, shutting the book in front of her, “Unless you want to keep going after we eat.”

The part of him that wanted to spend as much time with her as possible said yes. The part of him that was tired of algebra said no.

“I think you’re right. If we try to cram anymore formulas in here my head might actually explode, and red doesn’t seem like a good color for your dining room,” Louis joked.

“Gross! Are you trying to kill my appetite?” Clem chuckled as Lee came into the room with a couple of boxes of pizza.

“Pineapple for you two, and meat extravaganza for me and AJ,” he said, setting them on the table while Louis and Clementine cleaned up their school stuff.

“I’ll grab the plates,” Clem said to Lee, leaving the boys alone in the dining room.

“I’ll get the napkins!” AJ added, running after his sister.

“Sounds like you two got quite a lot accomplished,” Lee remarked after a moment, taking a seat at the table, “You know, Clementine is a really special girl. She’s smart as a whip, and twice as tough.”

“Yeah, she’s really something,” Louis nodded, smiling softly. He saw the knowing look on Lee’s face and quickly tried to make a recovery, adding, “You know, for an Algebra tutor.” Wow. Real convincing.

“Right,” Lee said with an indulgent chuckle. He looked like he had more to say, but Clementine appeared a moment later, plates in hand. AJ was right behind her, carrying a roll of paper towels instead of proper napkins.

This was the first family dinner that Louis had been to in so long he couldn’t even remember. Usually he either ate fast food with his friends or alone in his room. It was nice to actually sit at a table for once, and even nicer to be enjoying a meal with Clem and her family. Unlike he and his dad, they obviously got along and cared for each other a great deal.

It was so nice the he didn’t want it to end, but like all good things, it eventually had to. As soon as everyone was finished, leftovers were put away, and dinner was cleaned up, Clem offered to give him a lift home. To his surprise, Lee didn’t step in and insist on joining them in the car. He wondered if that was a good sign, or if he simply didn’t suspect that they could get into just as much trouble in a vehicle as they could at his house.

“Well, it was really nice meeting you, Louis,” Lee said as he walked them to the door.

“It was nice to meet you, too, Mr. Everett,” Louis replied, extending his hand for another handshake.

Lee’s smile was genuine as he returned the gesture and said, “No need for the formality. Please, call me Lee.”

Louis nodded and said, “Sounds good. I’ll see you later, Lee. See you on Friday, AJ!”

“Bye Louis!” AJ yelled from where he sat on the couch playing with a handheld gaming device.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Clem sighed and said, “That went _way_ better than I expected.”

“What are you talking about? Did you really doubt my charm and sparkling personality?” Louis asked, pretending to be offended.

“No,” Clem said when they got to the car. After a pause she amended her statement, saying, “Well, a little. But not because you’re not charming. My dad just gets weird with any of my guy friends he hasn’t met.”

“The whole ‘protective dad’ thing, you mean?” Louis asked as he slid into the passenger seat while Clem got into the driver’s seat.

“Yeah. He likes you, though, so you don’t have anything to worry about,” Clementine told him, starting the engine and heading in the direction of his house.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, for starters he told you to call him, ‘Lee’ instead of ‘Mr. Everett.’ And he didn’t force his way into the car with us, so he must trust you a little,” Clem answered.

“Maybe he just thinks you could kick my ass. Which, while totally true, would be a little depressing if your dad figured that out the first time he met me.”

Clementine laughed at that and said, “I’m sure he didn’t figure that out yet.”

“I’m just glad he doesn’t hate me. That would make our tutoring sessions pretty awkward,” Louis said.

“He’d never hate you, Louis. You’d have to do something really terrible for that to happen.”

“Like, break into your house, maybe?”

Clem rolled her eyes and said, “One, he’s never going to find out about that. And two, I’m sure he’d get over it once he found out you were just doing it on a dare.”

“Hey, it wasn’t weird that I offered to hang out with AJ, was it?” Louis asked, remembering the way Lee had looked at him in the car.

Clementine hummed thoughtfully for a moment before saying, “If it was anyone else, it might have been. But obviously AJ really likes you and I get the feeling you’re just trying to be nice. I think once Lee got to know you a little better he realized that, too.”

“Hey, I told you, I think AJ’s a cool little dude. I wonder if he’ll still think _I’m_ cool once he realizes I’m terrible at video games,” Louis said. He basically never played except when Marlon made him, and unless they were on a team, his best friend pretty much dominated him at every game.

“I’m sure some candy would buy his forgiveness,” Clementine said with a grin.

“Then I’ll make sure to come prepared! My dessert cannons will be locked and loaded,” Louis said, aiming a fake weapon in her direction.

The drive to his house took less time than he wanted it to, and as she rolled up his driveway he was relieved to see that it was dark, indicating that his dad wasn’t home.

“Well, I guess this is it,” Louis said, still hesitating to get out. “I had a really good time tonight, by the way. It was nice to be around a functional family for a change.”

Clem’s eyes were sad as reached out and touched his hand, saying, “Louis, you’re always welcome at my place, you know that, right? It doesn’t have to be a tutoring session. If you need a break from your dad, just let me know, and I’ll figure out a way to come get you.”

His heart thumped out an uneven rhythm in his chest as he gazed into her earnest eyes. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck and across his cheeks, and did his best to control it, though he knew it was in vain. Thankfully, the car was dark enough that he figured she wouldn’t notice.

“Thanks, Clem. That means a lot,” Louis said, trying and failing to find the right words to express his gratitude. Maybe he should start carrying a keyboard on him so he could just play the piano whenever he couldn’t figure out what to say.

She nodded and said, “You better get going. Lee will get suspicious if I’m not back soon.”

“I thought you said he trusted me!” Louis exclaimed as he reluctantly opened the car door.

“I said he trusts you _a little_ ,” Clem corrected him, “But I’m sure that’ll change the more he gets to know you. Anyway, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Bye Clementine,” Louis said, waving at her through the window.

“Bye Louis,” she replied, waving back.

Then she was off, her taillights fading into the night. Louis felt rooted to the spot, wishing that he was still with her instead of going inside his empty house. The way she’d been looking at him had him feeling warm all over, even with the cold chill in the night air that was slowly sapping the feeling from him.  
  


Rather than continue to stand outside in the cold, Louis made his way inside to find the house was as empty as he’d thought. The upside, however, meant he could have some alone time with his piano. He quickly shuffled down to where it sat and started to play, his thoughts rarely straying far from Clementine.


	17. Chapter 17

When Clementine got home, she hung the keys to the car back on their hook and pulled off her boots, dropping them to the ground unceremoniously. She wondered if she was still blushing, and hoped it had subsided. No doubt that would be the first thing Lee would notice otherwise, and he’d question her about it incessantly. She was just grateful that Louis probably hadn’t noticed it in the dim light of the car.

“Welcome home, sweet pea,” Lee said from where he sat on the couch. AJ was nowhere to be found, and she suspected he was up in his room.

“Thanks, Lee,” Clem said as she tried to walk past him to the stairs.

“Come here a sec. I want to talk to you,” Lee told her, setting his book on the coffee table.

Oh boy, here we go. She knew for sure that he was going to ask her about Louis and whether or not he was her boyfriend.

“What’s up?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the seat furthest from him. She wanted to be able to make a quick getaway once the inquisition was over.

“I’m sure you can already tell where this conversation is going,” Lee began, giving her a knowing a look, “I just wanted to say that Louis seems like a nice guy, and I think he’s good for you. If you guys are an item, that is.”

“Good for me?” Clementine said with a raised brow.

“You just seem more relaxed lately. I didn’t really know why until now. You’ve always been so serious—which is just fine, of course! But it’s nice to see you have fun and let your hair down a little,” Lee explained, “If you guys aren’t together, that’s fine, too. I just wanted to give you my two cents.”

Clementine nodded mutely, unsure of what to say. She hadn’t really noticed it, but now that she thought about it, she _was_ having more fun than she used to. With Gabe she’d always felt the need to be the ‘cool girl.’ He was the kind of guy who rarely goofed around, and whenever she tried to joke with him, he always gave her an annoyed look. There was always a little bit of pressure to make sure she never embarrassed herself in front of him, so she’d done her best to be polished and smart. It was only when she was finally alone that she let herself exhale a breath she didn’t usually realize she was holding.

With Louis it was totally different. Somehow Clementine had gotten so comfortable around him that she actually felt like she could be herself. She could be vulnerable and honest, instead of having to hide herself behind the facade of someone who was calm, cool, and collected. He gave her room to simply be without having any kind of agenda or passing any sort of judgment. In some ways, it was like a breath of fresh air she never knew she needed.

“Anyway, I’ve got to head to the school early tomorrow, so I’m going to turn in. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Clem,” Lee said, giving her shoulder a pat as he walked by her to head upstairs.

Clementine waved to Lee, still unable to bring herself to speak. How had she let herself get so attached to someone who was so obviously unavailable? It was irresponsible, and if she’d been thinking straight instead of mooning after him she’d have caught herself before it was too late. Now, however, she’d dug herself straight into a hole she had no idea whether or not she’d be able to climb out of.

Once Friday finally rolled around, Clementine felt anxious, though not for herself. This was Louis’s first big test since she’d started tutoring him. She really wanted him to do well, and not because she wanted validation for her teaching skills, although that would be a nice bonus. No, she was actually much more invested in making sure that he passed Algebra, if only so he could get his dad off his back.

It would also show Louis that he was much smarter than he gave himself credit for, which was something she hadn’t known he actually needed. Somehow he always gave off an air of cool, easy confidence. The more she got to know him, however, the more she realized that he had insecurities he didn’t talk about. One of those seemed to be around his academic abilities, and she was excited for him to realize he was capable of much more than he told himself he was.

“You all right, Clem? You seem more jittery than a horse that’s just seen a snake,” Ruby remarked as they walked away from AP Calc together.

“I’m fine,” Clementine lied, “Just ready for the weekend.”

Ruby snorted and said, “What? So you can spend more time studyin’? Or did you finally find yourself a fella?”

“Who says I’m even looking for a ‘fella?’” Clem asked, raising a brow at her.

Ruby’s eyes went wide for a second before she said, “Fine then. Did you finally find yourself a crush?”

Clementine rolled her eyes, though in her heart she knew the truth. Somehow, inexplicably, she _had_ found herself a crush, and it was on the worst person possible.

“You don’t have to have a rebound to get over someone. You know that, right?” Clem finally replied, deftly side-stepping the question.

“Yeah, but ain’t it just a little more fun that way?” Ruby said with a grin.

“Only if the person you rebound to actually likes you back,” Clementine muttered. When Ruby’s eyes filled with confusion, Clem quickly added, “Anyway, I need to get to my next class. I’ll see you at lunch.”

She thought Ruby might have called after her, but her voice was lost in the din of other students around them as Clementine hurried down the hallway. She hoped her nerves would get better as the day wore on. When she saw Louis at lunch, however, they skyrocketed as he told her he still hadn’t taken the test. This meant she’d have to wait until the very end of the day to ask him how he’d done.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang, which signaled the end of the school week. Clementine hurried to where they’d meet out front of the school and waited for him to show, praying he’d have good news. It was only when she saw him that she realized he’d have no actual idea how he did until he got the grade back.

“What’s up, Clemster?” Louis asked, joining her where she sat on the bench.

“Clemster?” Clementine asked, her lip curling at the nickname.

“I’ve been trying to come up with a good nickname for you for a while now. I have one for everyone else, so I didn’t want you to feel left out,” Louis told her with a smirk.

“If that’s the best you can do, I think I’d rather feel left out,” Clem said.

“You wound me, good lady!” Louis exclaimed in his trademark English accent, “And after all that hard work, too!”

“Sorry,” Clem chuckled, “I’m just not really a nickname kind of person.”

“Oh yeah? I bet I can change that! How about ‘Clemmy?’”

“Ugh. That’s worse.”

“Okay…Clem the Great?”

“That’s better, but still not doing it for me.”

Louis put his hand on his chin for a moment, before his eyes lit up and he yelled, “I’ve got it! How about ‘Queen Clem?’”

Clementine didn’t instantly hate it, and he looked so hopeful that she didn’t want to let him down. “That works for me…Be-lou-ga.”

Louis stared at her dumbstruck before he burst out laughing, asking, “Beluga? What’s that supposed to be?”

“Like the whale?” Clem said, crossing her arms across her chest, “You know. Be-LOU-ga. Because the short version of your name is ‘Lou.’”

Louis’s laughter subsided as he said, “Yeah, I get it. We should probably work on your nicknaming skills before you embarrass yourself again.”

“Hey, it’s better than Clemster!” Clem scowled.

“No way. Not in a million years. But that’s okay, because you’ve got plenty of other talents,” Louis replied with a wink.

Clementine huffed and rolled her eyes, saying, “Yeah, and one of those is math, which I’m trying to teach you. How’d your test go, anyway? And don’t try to distract me with more nicknames.”

Louis’s body deflated as though the wind went out of his sails, and she almost regretted asking him about it. She watched his teeth worry his lip for a second before he said, “I don’t know. Probably better than I would have done on my own?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I tried, and your help probably made a difference.”

“So you think you did well?”

“I don’t know how I did, and I really don’t want to get my hopes up. Let’s just wait for my grade to come back. Then we can celebrate my victory. Or mourn my defeat. Either way, I’m treating myself to a new pair of shoes,” Louis said, slinging his arms across the back of the bench as he leaned back.

Clementine was about to scold him when Lee’s car approached, effectively ending the conversation. When they got into the vehicle, Lee greeted Louis warmly then gave Clem a sly grin, reminding her of the conversation they’d had on Wednesday night. Instantly she began to blush, and she stared out the window so Louis wouldn’t notice.

“So, Louis, all set for your game night with AJ?” Lee asked, reminding her of Louis’s promise to her younger brother.

“Yep! I even brought some snacks to win him back over once he realizes I’m not as cool as he thinks I am,” Louis said, patting his messenger bag, which emitted a crinkling sound.

“As long as they’re not too sugary. I don’t want him bouncing off the walls all night long,” Lee replied sternly.

“Uh…I’ll just make sure we consume the snacks in moderation. And only whip them out as a last resort,” Louis vowed, a nervous undercurrent in his voice.

Lee seemed to sense his unease and amended his statement, saying, “Well, I’m sure a little sugar won’t hurt. If nothing else, he’ll just sleep it off tomorrow morning.”

Clementine was surprised. Usually he was pretty strict with AJ’s sugar intake, especially since he got a little out of control when he was hyper. She wondered if Lee was just trying to be nice, or if he was finally starting to relax now that AJ hadn’t had an outburst in a while. Clem figured they’d find out when AJ was bouncing up and down the house later on that night.

Of course, when he saw Louis he was already vibrating with excitement. The moment AJ got in the car he yelled, “Louis! I can’t believe you remembered!”

“Like I could forget you, little dude,” Louis yelled back, giving him a high five, “You excited to get your game on tonight?”

“Yeah! I’m going to do all my homework really fast so we can play longer,” AJ said as Louis helped to buckle him in.

“Just make sure you do it right, AJ,” Lee reminded him from the front seat, “Bad grades mean no video games after all.”

“Yeah, I know,” AJ sighed. Clem could practically hear the eyeroll.

“How about before we play, Clementine and I will double check your work,” Louis suggested much to her surprise, “That way you won’t have to worry about it.”

“That sounds boring,” AJ replied.

“Oh, it _definitely_ will be. But then we’ll have fun right afterwards, and it’ll all be worth it. That’s a Louis Morgan guarantee.”

Clementine expected AJ to disagree, but to her surprise, he actually went along with Louis’s plan. She glanced over at Lee to see the corners of his lips upturned. It wasn’t often that AJ got along with people, and even less often that it came this easily. She had no doubt in her mind that Lee appreciated Louis’s patience, and knew he was earning even more points with her dad. If she was honest, it also made her like him that much more as well, a fact that both thrilled and disappointed her all at once.

When they arrived at her place, it was down to business. AJ hurried up to his room to do his homework, and Clementine and Louis took their place at the dining room table to study. Even though it was only his second time at her house, she was surprised to find that he seemed pretty much at ease. It was as though he fit in effortlessly, although she supposed that was something that came naturally to him. After all, he was as charming as he thought, at least to most people. So far only Violet and Aasim seemed immune to his jokes and his banter, often rolling their eyes at him or shaking their heads. Clementine was grateful that Lee and AJ fell into the majority and deemed him pleasant company.

Pleasant enough, in fact, that AJ came bounding down the stairs an hour and a half later, papers waving in his hands. He threw them onto the dining room table and proclaimed, “Done!”

“Time to double check your work?” Louis asked, sliding the assignments over. He divided the pile in two and handed some of them to Clementine.

“You sure we got enough done today?” Clem asked as she accepted the papers, “There’s always more.”

Louis rolled his eyes and said, “Come on, Clem. You gotta live a little. Besides, I have all weekend to study. Not that I’m going to, of course.”

“Yeah Clem. Live a little,” AJ echoed, a grin on his face. Usually she was the one telling him what to do, so she was certain he was happy to have someone on his side for once.

Now it was Clementine’s turn to roll her eyes as she said, “Thanks for that.”

“What? You have to admit, it’s solid advice,” Louis told her with a cheeky grin.

The two of them bent their heads over AJ’s homework, and to no one’s surprise, his rush job had earned him several wrong answers.

Clementine circled the ones that needed to be fixed and slid the papers back to AJ, saying, “Come on now, goofball. You need to do better than that.”

“I tried my best, Clem,” AJ replied, frowning as he saw how many she circled.

“I know you did, buddy,” she replied gently, “I think if you spent a little more time on it, you’d have had it perfect.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to,” AJ retorted as he folded his arms across his chest, “Besides, Louis said that C’s get degrees. Why do I have to try hard all the time if he doesn’t?”

Clementine resisted the urge to sigh, instead pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to come up with a good response.

To her surprise, Louis spoke up beside her, saying, “I know I said that when we first met, but I was wrong. Plus, I’m not really the best example to follow. Your sister on the other hand, she’s amazing. She makes me want to work harder, which is why I’m studying now. Don’t take shortcuts just because I make it look cool. If I’d been more like Clementine, I might not need her to tutor me. And I’d still have my car, too.”

“You don’t have your car anymore?” AJ asked, his eyes wide.

“Nope. A big monster saw my report card and took it away,” Louis said, raising his arms up to imitate a large, bear-like creature.

AJ rolled his eyes and said, “You know I’m ten, right?”

“Okay, fine,” Louis laughed, “My dad took it away, but he can be kind of a monster sometimes.”

AJ looked like he wanted to keep arguing, but instead he heaved a sigh and pulled his homework over, correcting the questions he’d gotten wrong. Once Clementine was satisfied that he’d learned his lesson, she gave him permission to set up the living room for video game time.

When he dashed off, she started picking up her things silently. Louis cleared his throat beside her, and when she locked eyes with him, she saw regret reflected in their depths.

“Sorry I said that in front of him. I didn’t really expect him to take it to heart,” Louis said, scratching the back of his neck.

“It’s fine. You didn’t know how impressionable he can be,” Clementine shrugged. In truth, AJ wasn’t all that impressionable. Only with people he liked and looked up to. At one time, that was Clem, but apparently he’d moved on to bigger and better people.

“Seriously,” Louis said as he grabbed her hand to stop her from what she was doing, “I feel really bad.”

She was about to open her mouth to say it was fine when Lee walked into the room, his eyes widening at the sight of her and Louis basically holding hands. He let her go immediately, straightening as Lee walked past them.

“Hey, don’t mind me. I just wanted to get dinner started. You like meatloaf?” Lee asked Louis.

“Yes, sir,” Louis replied awkwardly.

“Great, ‘cause that’s what we’re having,” Lee replied with a smile, “Clem, you want to help me for a bit while those guys get their game on?”

“Get their game on?” Clem repeated, a brow raised in his direction.

“What? That’s not what the cool kids are saying these days?” Lee asked with a shrug.

“No, Lee. It’s not,” Clem chuckled with a shake of her head. She followed him into the kitchen and left Louis in the dining room. Part of her wanted to glance back over her shoulder to see if he still looked guilty, but she figured it was for the best that they dropped the conversation. No use going around and around about it. What was done was done, and she appreciated that he’d tried to amend what he’d said.

When they were alone, Lee said, “Sorry to interrupt you two. You take my advice after all?”

Clementine rolled her eyes as she pulled out a mixing bowl and a cutting board, saying pointedly, “You didn’t interrupt anything. He was just trying to get my attention.”

She turned to see him chuckling and shot him a glare. He responded by putting his hands up defensively and saying, “All right, I’ll let it go. I just hope you think about what I said.”

“God, why do you always have to play matchmaker?” Clementine sighed as she pulled out the potatoes they would have along with the meatloaf.

“Isn’t it a dad’s job to meddle a little bit?” Lee asked while he grabbed the ground beef from the fridge.

“Yeah, but you’re supposed to stop me from dating anyone, not encourage me,” Clem replied, slicing a knife through one of the potatoes a little harder than she needed to.

“Is that what you want?” Lee chuckled, “Because I don’t mind. I just thought you’d prefer that I treat you like an adult.”

“I’d prefer not talking about my love life at all,” Clem muttered into the cutting board. The last thing she wanted to talk about was how she’d managed to fall for yet another guy who wasn’t really interested in her.

“If that’s what you want,” Lee said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “But if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

* * *

Louis sat down on the couch next to AJ who handed him a controller. To his surprise, it wasn’t _Fortnite_ they were going to play, but some anime fighting game instead.

“Didn’t think this would be your type of game, little man,” Louis remarked as AJ navigated through the start menu to the character select.

“Tenn showed it to me. He said he watches the show. It’s some Japanese cartoon, which is kind of weird, but the game is fun. He’s letting me borrow it,” AJ shrugged.

Louis had seen some of Tenn’s drawings, and realized he was imitating the art style of this show in his own work. It was interesting to see, especially since he was such a shy kid who rarely talked. He wondered if AJ was any good at this game, and hoped that he wasn’t since he was just borrowing it.

To no one’s surprise but AJ, Louis was terrible. The only thing he managed to master was getting his ass kicked repeatedly. That, and mashing buttons until something happened. Other than that, he flailed around ineffectively until AJ did enough damage that his character got KO’d.

“Wow, you’re _really_ bad at this,” AJ said when he beat Louis yet again.

“Like I said earlier, I’m not the best example to follow,” Louis admitted, setting the controller in his lap.

AJ was quiet for a moment before he looked up at Louis and said, “Sorry I made Clem mad at you before. I didn’t mean to.”

“You didn’t do anything, AJ,” Louis said as he tried not to picture Clem’s expression when she’d looked at him. If Lee hadn’t interrupted, he wondered if she would have forgiven him. As it was, he was pretty sure she was still annoyed at him.

“Yeah I did. I made her think that you were a bad influence on me,” AJ insisted, a worried frown on his face.

“I did that all on my own, buddy,” Louis sighed as he put a hand on AJ’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about it. Just listen to the other thing I told you, where you should follow in Clementine’s footsteps instead. _That_ was actually good advice.”

“I promise she won’t be mad at you for long,” AJ said, completely ignoring his statement, “She likes you. Like as a boyfriend.”

Louis barked out a laugh and said, “Sure she does. And I’m actually a secret genius that has perfect grades.”

“I’m serious!” AJ exclaimed, “She gets all funny when you’re around. Like nervous, but in a good way.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Louis said, adding, “Besides, if she did like me, I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate you telling me that.”

AJ opened his mouth to continue arguing when a sound from the dining room alerted them that someone was coming. A moment later Clementine appeared in the door way, apparently finished with her portion of the dinner preparations.

“What are you guys doing?” Clem asked, a brow arched at them.

“AJ was just telling me that he’s excited to spend all of his free time studying now that I’ve set him on the right path,” Louis lied. He was almost certain the actual topic of conversation would piss her off more than she already was.

“No I wasn’t,” AJ said with a shake of his head.

Clementine snorted and said, “I could have figured that one out. I’m just surprised to see you guys actually tore yourselves away from the game for more than a second.”

“You want to play?” Louis asked impulsively. When she hesitated, he held out the controller and said, “I’m just tired of getting my butt kicked. AJ’s pretty good at this game.”

“Or you’re just really bad,” Clem said with a smirk as she entered the room and took the controller from him, “Lucky for AJ, I’m probably just as terrible.”

“That’s fine. I like to win,” AJ shrugged as he settled back into the couch cushions.

Louis was surprised when she sat down next to him instead of sitting on the other side of AJ. He tried not to read too much into it, but AJ’s words were still tumbling around in his head. Much as he didn’t want to get his hopes up, he couldn’t help but wonder if they were true. If anyone would know it would be her little brother, right?

Then again, who talked to their younger siblings about their crushes? Louis tried to remember if Sophie or Minnie had ever mentioned getting advice from Tennessee about their love lives. However, he came up blank, only remembering times where they’d said he’d been annoying.

The more Louis thought about it, the more he realized that it was likely just AJ reading into things. He seemed to have a very active imagination, which probably just added fuel to the fire. Rather than putting any stock into what he’d said, Louis just chalked it up to a young kid making a bigger deal out of something than it actually was.

Still, every so often Clementine’s elbow would brush against his arm, or her leg would brush against his leg. Again, he refused to believe it was on purpose, but he couldn’t help the way his heart raced at the accidental contact. Once in a while he would glance over at her, but her gaze was fixed on the TV screen as she did her best to beat AJ.

Eventually dinner was ready, and Lee called everyone to the table. It was just as pleasant as it had been the last time, especially since he was eating a home cooked meal. Pizza was nice and all, but nothing could beat some good home cooking, especially when he basically never had it.

When dinner was over, Louis lived up to his promise and continued to play games with AJ into the night. He finally gave up his stash of snacks, but made AJ vow that he would only eat a little, and only in between matches. To his credit, AJ did as he as told, and only consumed a moderate amount. Still, that was enough to make him much more hyper than Louis had intended.

As soon as his bedtime rolled around, AJ bounced up and down on the couch, whining, “Come on. Five more minutes, please? Please Dad?”

Lee’s brows shot up as he glanced at Louis who said, “Sorry. I didn’t realize he was this sensitive to sugar.”

Lee sighed and said, “It’s fine. AJ, I think it’s plenty late. You can hang out with Louis another time.”

“But it’s Friday! I don’t want him to go!” AJ cried, flinging himself back into the couch cushions.

“How about we do this again next Friday?” Louis suggested, wanting to diffuse the situation, “I promise I’ll practice so you’ll actually have a challenge, instead of just whupping my butt over and over again.”

“You promise?” AJ pouted, though the storm seemed to be passing.

“I promise,” Louis nodded, rising and picking up his bag, “You sleep good, okay little man? I’ll see you next week.”

“Bye Louis,” AJ said solemnly as Lee led him off the couch and directed him to the stairs with a command that he brush his teeth and ask Clementine to come down.

“Hey, I really am sorry about that,” Louis apologized for what felt like the millionth time that night.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lee said with a wave of his hand, “I was the one who said it was okay.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Louis replied as he shuffled his feet, “I promise it won’t happen again.”

“I believe you,” Lee stated, a kind smile on his lips, “Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”

Louis nodded as Clementine finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, her gaze fixed on him as she asked, “Time to go?”

“Yep. Unless you’d rather I walk,” Louis joked weakly.

“Not at this hour,” Lee replied, “Safe as Charles Town seems, you never know what’s lurking in the shadows.”

And with that, they were off. Clementine was quiet for most of the drive to his house. He wondered what she’d been up to when she’d taken off for her room after dinner. Probably talking to that guy, Gabe or whatever. Or formulating plans for how to best murder him and hide the body.

When they got to his house, he turned to her and said, “Look, I really am sorry about what I said in front of AJ. I can tell you’re still pissed, and I just want you to know that I’ll wait as long as I have to for you to forgive me.”  
  


“What?” Clem asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“You know. I told him he didn’t have to do well in school, and then he believed me? And then you disappeared after dinner and barely said anything to me on the way here? Not that I don’t deserve it, of course,” Louis rambled, feeling more self-conscious by the second.

“Louis, I’m not mad at you. I never was,” Clementine said, adding, “Honestly, I’m just exhausted. Mr. Simmons has been going non-stop with the homework and I’ve stayed up late every night this week trying to make sure I ace the assignments.”

“Oh,” Louis replied, feeling suddenly very stupid, “Well great! Crisis averted! We can take it down to DEFCON 1.”

“Actually DEFCON 1 means you’re in the most danger,” Clementine chuckled, “But seriously, I know you didn’t mean anything by it. Just try to remember he’s still a little kid, and he looks up to you a lot. He’s going to soak up everything you say like a little sponge.”

“Then I’ll make sure I give him the best soap and water to soak up,” Louis told her. He watched her brow raise at him in the cute way she did when she thought he was being weird and he said, “Okay, bad analogy. But you get what I’m trying to say.”

“I do,” Clem nodded, smiling at him in the way that made his heart thump hard in his chest.

“Anyway, I’d best let you go. You need your beauty sleep after all,” Louis said, as he made to grab the door handle.

“Hey! Are you saying I look bad?” Clem asked him.

“Not at all! Dark circles are quite fetching,” Louis joked, turning back to face her.

She rolled her eyes at him and replied, “Whatever.”

“Seriously! Nothing I like more than a girl who looks like she hasn’t slept in a week,” Louis continued, a smirk on his face.

He noticed a shift in the air then, almost like a switch had been flipped. Even through the darkness he could see a blush coloring her cheeks, and she glanced over at him through her eyelashes as she said, “Oh yeah?”

“Definitely,” Louis said softly, his mouth going dry.

The way she was looking at him made his heart hammer in his chest and for a minute he contemplated kissing her. After all, who was to say she was still hung up on this Gabe asshole anyway? Surely she’d had enough time to get over him by now. All he needed to do was lean forward and press his lips to hers.

Just then, the front door to his house opened, and his dad poked his head out, yelling, “Who’s out there?”

“Fuck,” Louis swore, shattering the moment, “Better go. Daddy’s calling. I’ll see you later.”

“See you,” Clementine said quietly as he shut the car door and made his way up the to the front steps.

“It’s just me, Dad!” Louis grumbled. Clementine’s car pulled away, and with it the moment that had his heart beating a hundred miles a minute.

“Louis? I thought you were home already,” William replied, moving aside so Louis could enter the house.

“Yeah, sorry. We lost track of time. I have this huge test coming up and we just wanted to make sure I was prepared,” Louis lied as he kicked off his shoes and made for the stairs.

“Right. Well, next time let me know if you’re going to be late,” his father said sternly.

“Sure thing, Dad,” Louis said, not bothering to look back as he hurried the rest of the way to his room.

As soon as he shut the door, Louis crossed the room and flipped through his record collection until he found the album that would drown out his racing heart. Music filled the space, allowing him to focus on something other than what had almost just happened. Had it even been real? Or was Louis just imagining things? At this point it almost seemed like a dream.


	18. Chapter 18

Louis and Clementine continued to study together in the coming weeks, with the end of the semester hurtling closer and closer. As each week passed, Clementine found herself trying to find ways to prolong their study sessions. After all, once the semester was over they wouldn’t have a reason to hang out together anymore just the two of them. It would be back to group hangouts exclusively, much to her disappointment.

Once again she’d fallen into the trap of getting used to something that wasn’t hers to get used to. The routine they’d developed had already started to become comfortable, and she knew she would miss it once school was over. More than likely AJ would as well. She was already worried about how he’d feel when Louis stopped coming around. Hell, AJ was probably more attached to him than she was at this point.

Still, she was determined to enjoy the time they had remaining, even if it was bittersweet. Like when he got his grade back on his test and it turned out he’d passed with a 97%. Ms. Taylor had even written an encouraging note at the top, since it was the best Louis had done on a test all semester. Clementine hadn’t been able to stop herself from throwing her arms around him in celebration. The hug—which lasted longer than Clem had meant it to—was interrupted by Lee, who gave her another knowing look when she got into the car.

True to his word, Louis bought himself a pair of shoes to celebrate the good grade. He offered to get her a pair as well, which she declined. Then he offered to get her a new hat, which she declined even more vehemently. He insisted that he get her something to repay her for all her hard work, and eventually they settled on a bottle of green tea. Although Louis thought it wasn’t enough, Clementine knew in her heart that she was more than grateful just to get to spend time with him. That was repayment enough for her.

She’d tried looking on the bright side of things. Rather than thinking of winter break as time apart from Louis, she could look at it as time to get over him instead. Clementine was fairly certain that he and Sophie would probably start dating each other at some point while they out for break. Every time she saw Louis and Sophie together, Sophie always seemed to be touching him. Whether her hand was lingering on his back, or her arm was looped through his, Sophie was never far from him. Clem didn’t want to let it irk her. However, she couldn’t help the jealousy that sparked every time she saw them sitting close, or joking around, or anything else for that matter.

Still, she wasn’t going to stand in the way of true love or whatever it was. If the two of them liked each other, it wasn’t her place to interfere. More than anything, she just wanted Louis to be happy, and if that meant him being Sophie’s boyfriend, then so be it.

Her mood had become a little sour because of all the teenage inner turmoil she was experiencing. Much as she tried to hide it, Lee and AJ both noticed her moody silences and how often she spent the night in her room. Most of the time when Lee asked she’d say it was homework or that she was tired. Those weren’t total lies. AP Calc was practically eating her alive, especially since Mr. Simmons had told them they were going to be given a final—‘Just like in college,’ he’d said with a gleeful sneer. It would have everything on it that they’d learned since the beginning of the year. That meant that if she wasn’t tutoring Louis, she was studying with Ruby.

It was on a Saturday, right after Ruby had left, that Lee sprang a surprise on her to cheer her up.

Clementine had been sitting in her room, trying and failing not to think about Louis, when Lee called her downstairs.

As she descended to the lower level of their home, she wondered what he might want. Had she forgotten to do the dishes? Or maybe she’d accidentally left some food on the kitchen counter and it spoiled? With how tired she’d been lately, it was hard to keep track.

“What’s up?” Clementine asked when she got to the bottom of the stairs. Lee was sitting on the couch with AJ, where he gestured for her to join them.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you seemed a little down lately, sweet pea,” Lee began, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, “I tried to think of why that might be. After all, you’ve got a great new group of friends, and things seems to be going well in school.”

“Lee, I’m fine, really—” Clementine started, but was interrupted when Lee held up a hand.

“I know something’s bothering you, Clem,” Lee said, his eyes sad, “Luckily, I think I finally figured out what it is.”

Clem’s eyes darted over to AJ who was looking between them curiously, and she prayed that Lee wouldn’t say anything about her and Louis in front of him. She’d worked hard to convince AJ that she and Louis were just friends, and Lee could ruin all of that with just a few words. Clem really didn’t want to be back at square one with him, especially since she suspected AJ wanted to interfere in their relationship.

When she looked back at Lee, she saw that he had a solemn expression as he said, “You miss your friends in Georgia, don’t you?” That wasn’t at all what she’d expected, but she was glad for the excuse nonetheless.

“Yeah, I do. It’s been a long time,” Clem lied, feeling a little guilty. Still, a white lie was better than the alternative, which would be talking about her stupid crush.

His expression changed, and he grinned from ear-to-ear and asked, “How would you like to see them again?”

Oh god. Were they moving back? After all the hard work she’d put in to making friends and getting to know people?

“I’d like that,” Clem replied cautiously, “But I don’t see that happening any time soon.”

“Guess again,” Lee said, producing an envelope from his back pocket. He extended it to her, and when she took it, he added, “Think of this as an early Christmas present to help get you out of your funk.”

Inside the envelope was a flight itinerary with her name on it. It was round trip from West Virginia to Georgia and back again, and it looked like it would last a couple weeks. In fact, the trip was scheduled for almost the entirety of winter break.

“Well?” Lee asked, his grin faltering when she didn’t react immediately.

“Yeah, Clem? What is it?” AJ asked. Apparently this was a surprise for him also.

“It’s a trip to Georgia,” Clementine said after clearing her throat.

“I want to go on a trip!” AJ exclaimed, looking to Lee.

“Don’t worry, AJ. I didn’t forget about you,” Lee chuckled as he pulled out another envelope, “We’re all going!”

“Yay! Can Tenn come, too? I want to show him my old room,” AJ asked.

“Sorry, kiddo, this is just a family trip,” Lee explained, “Maybe next time, okay?”

“Okay. I’m going to go pack right now!” AJ said, jumping off the couch and scrambling up the stairs.

“Should I tell him the trip isn’t for two weeks?” Clem chuckled as she stared after him.

“Eh, let’s let him have this one. He’ll figure it out soon enough,” Lee answered. He was quiet for a moment, then said, “You want to go, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Clementine answered, though deep down she wasn’t nearly as excited as she would have been several months ago, “I guess I’m just shocked. This must have cost a fortune.”

“It wasn’t as much as you might think. Besides, the cost doesn’t matter as long as it makes you happy. I’ve been worried about you, Clem,” Lee told her, reaching out to put a hand on her hand, “You know you can talk to me, right?”

Clementine patted his hand and replied, “I know I can. I promise, I’m fine. I just have this one teacher who’s been a taskmaster for the last few weeks. Once the semester is over, I’ll be back to normal.”

“Do you want me to go talk to him? A teacher who overworks their students isn’t doing them any favors. I could probably show him a thing or two,” Lee suggested though she knew he was half-kidding.

She could only imagine the look on Mr. Simmons face if Lee tried to say a word to him about his teaching style. He’d probably laugh out loud, then give Clem extra homework.

“There’s only two weeks left. I think I’ll be okay,” Clementine said, adding, “If I have him again next semester I’ll send you his direction.”

“Fair enough,” Lee said, adding, “I hope the next two weeks go by in a flash, for your sake.”

“Me too,” Clem agreed, though she didn’t actually feel that way. Once those two weeks ended, so would her one-on-one time with Louis. She’d rather they drag on, even if that meant dealing with AP Calc a little bit longer.

When she made it back up to her room, Clementine picked up her phone and sent a text to Sarah to let her know about the upcoming trip.

**Clementine [20:21]:** _Hey Sarah! Guess what?_

**Sarah [20:21]:** _Hey Clem! What’s up??_

**Clementine [20:22]:** _I’ll be coming to Georgia in a couple weeks. :)_

**Sarah [20:23]:** _AHHHHHHH!!!! I’M SO EXCITED!!!_

**Clementine [20:24]:** _Me too! It’s been way too long since we all hung out._

**Sarah [20:25]:** _I’m going to text Duck right now! Have you told Gabe yet??_

She hadn’t. In truth, Clementine almost didn’t want to. The last time Gabe had texted her had been that awkward exchange where he’d asked her if she missed him. Just looking at it gave her the same grossed out feeling as before. Still, this could be an opportunity to finally get closure with him. Even if she’d mostly moved on, talking to him and figuring out why he’d suddenly dropped her still felt necessary. Maybe then she’d be able to move on completely.

**Clementine [20:32]:** _Hey Gabe. Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be_ _coming to visit you guys_ _in a couple weeks._

She wondered if he’d respond and what he’d have to say. At the very least he could tell her he was excited to see her or ask if she wanted to hang out. He was supposed to be her friend after all.

When her phone chimed, however, she saw he only sent her one word:

**Gabe [20:33]:** _Cool._

So much for closure.

* * *

Louis could not wait for the next couple weeks to be over. Thankfully, time was flying by, partially due to the time he spent at Clementine’s house. Those were his favorite nights of the week, and he looked forward to them more than he looked forward to slipping on a new pair of Gucci slides. Thanksgiving break was the only week they had to skip out on their study sessions. His presence had been required elsewhere, specifically at his grandparents’ house to celebrate the holiday. The mansion in which they resided was about as cold and drafty as his grandparents were themselves. In spite of the fact that it was just the four of them, they still made their cooks prepare a feast fit for at least thirty people. It was ridiculous and a reminder to Louis of the obscene amount of wealth his family had.

Naturally his grandmother and grandfather wanted to know about how things were going in school and what his future plans were now that he was about to graduate. It was excruciating, especially since Louis no longer felt like lying to them. William had insisted he tell them he was going to college to study business, at least to keep the peace. However, Louis didn’t want to pretend to be something he wasn’t, especially when he didn’t think his choices were something to be ashamed of.

Because of that, dinner went about as well as anyone could expect, as well as making the next few days absolute torture. Louis was thankful when they were on the road, even with his dad berating him for not just letting them all have a nice holiday. He simply slid his earbuds in, leaned his head against the window, and let the music drown him out.

Once he got back, he went to hang out with Marlon who asked if they were still on for the ski trip extravaganza they all talked about last summer. Naturally, Louis had forgotten, what with meeting the most amazing girl on earth and all. With that reminder, however, he sensed an opportunity. A plan began to formulate in his mind, and it became more elaborate by the second.

His family owned a large, expensive ski lodge, which also happened to be incredibly romantic. Louis knew that there was no way Lee would let Clem go if it was just the two of them. He’d have to invite the whole gang, which wasn’t as big a problem as he first thought. All he needed was one night after everyone conveniently went to bed before them (at his request, most likely). That would give him the perfect opportunity to finally confess his feelings for her.

He’d been thinking about it for a while, but hadn’t been able to get himself to pull the trigger. There was just something nice about being friends with her that he was starting to realize he didn’t want to lose. Louis hadn’t had a connection like this with anyone new in a long time. If he were to tell her he liked her as way more than just a friend and she didn’t feel the same, that would probably make things hella awkward. With just a couple words, their entire relationship would go up in smoke. He really didn’t want that.

However, if he had the right atmosphere and the right way to show her how he felt, he might just be able to pull it off. After all, she might say yes, right?

At least, that’s what Louis tried to tell himself as his fingers flew across the keyboard of his phone to send a text to the group chat to make sure they were all still on board. The majority of them assumed he’d been planning the trip this whole time. It struck him as funny, since he pretty much never planned anything. Still, that was good news for him, since that meant everyone’s schedule was clear.

As they texted back and forth, Louis realized they would need transportation. Luckily for him, Brody said that her mom was fine with her using the van, as long as it came back in one piece. Since the van could seat seven, they needed one more vehicle. In a shocking twist, Aasim actually offered his Jeep as the second vehicle.

**Belouga [19:43]:** _Whoa! Surprised you’re even willing to go man._

**Aasim Mohan [19:45]:** _What? I like to ski._

**Belouga [19:45]:** _Suuuuuure. You just want to get cozy by the fire with someone. ;)_

**Aasim Mohan [19:46]:** _One more word, and I’ll keep my Jeep at home._

**Marlon is Awesome [19:46]:** _Don’t worry Louis won’t say another word._

**Brody <3sMarlon [19:46]: ** _Yeah I don’t think I can fit everyone in my mom’s van…_

**Minnie Mouse [19:46]:** _Don’t fuck this up Louis!!!_

**Belouga [19:47]:** _Jeeze! Can’t a guy make a joke around here?_

**Aasim Mohan [19:48]:** _No._

**Dr. Ruby Evans [19:48]:** _Only if they’re funny._

**Belouga [19:50]:** _All right! You like to ski. Satisfied?_

**Aasim Mohan [19:51]:** _Yes._

With transportation covered, it was now up to everyone to decide who was going to bring food, who would bring the entertainment, and who would bring the spirits. Naturally Mitch volunteered to bring the booze since he still had his community college hookup. Ruby and Aasim offered to bring board games, though Louis didn’t know how much use they’d get. Being the slightly nerdier people in the group, the two of them liked strategy games that bored everyone else. Thankfully, Sophie, Minnie, and Vi came to the rescue and said they’d bring some games, too.

That left the food, which Louis volunteered to get. He had the most money, after all. There was a small town close to the lodge which would have everything they needed. They would just need to stop in there on the way, and then maybe venture that way once more before they left. It was perfect.

Now all that was left to do was invite Clementine.

**Killer Vi [20:13]:** _Wait? She’s not in the group chat?_

**Belouga [20:14]:** _Weird. Wonder why?_

**Minnie Mouse [20:14]:** _Me too. Sophie?_

**Fashionista 4Ever [20:15]:** _Whoops! Guess it just slipped my mind_ _lol_

**Belouga [20:16]:** _We’ll forgive you this once. I_ _f it happens again we’ll have to find someone else to add new people to the chat. :P_

Louis decided to ask her the next time she was driving him home from their tutoring session. He just had to figure out how to do it casually. The last thing he wanted was to come off as desperate or creepy. Thankfully he had the fact that everyone else was going to fall back on in case she took his invitation the wrong way.

As they pulled up to his front door on Wednesday night, Louis cleared his throat and said, “So, my family owns this huge ski lodge up in the mountains.”

“I thought you were embarrassed about your family’s money?” Clementine interrupted, smirking at him.

Louis rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t have its perks. Anyway, _as I was saying_ , me and the gang were planning a trip up there for winter break. You in?”

He could almost swear that her eyes lit up, but a frown crossed her face a moment later as she said, “I can’t.”

“Don’t worry about Lee. I’m sure I can butter him up just enough so that he’ll say yes,” Louis told her confidently.

“It’s not that,” Clem said, putting the car in park and letting it idle. “Lee actually surprised me with a trip to Georgia as an early Christmas present. I’ll be gone pretty much all break.”

It felt like someone had punched Louis in the gut. All the air left him, his shoulders slumping as the plans he’d worked on so carefully fizzled before his eyes.

“Oh,” he finally managed to choke out, “That’s cool. I mean, you’re excited, right? You’ll get to see all your old friends again.”

“Yeah, totally,” she replied, not meeting his gaze, “It’s going to be great to see everyone. And I’m sure your trip will be fun, too.”

“Oh yeah! Hanging out by the fireplace, swimming in the heated pool, spiked hot chocolate, what’s not to love?” Louis rambled as he tried to hide his disappointment, “Anyway, it’s late. I should head inside. See you later!”

Louis hustled out the car, barely hearing her goodbye to him as he shut the door. His mind was already spinning out of control as he pictured her sliding right back into her old life in Georgia. And no doubt right back into the arms of the boy she left behind: Gabe.

He could just picture the two of them getting cozy underneath a peach tree or whatever they had in Georgia. Gabe would tell her how much he missed her and how much he still loved her. Then he’d lean in for a kiss, and the rest would be history. She’d come back happily in love with a different guy and he’d be left kicking himself and wondering why he didn’t tell her his feelings sooner.


	19. Chapter 19

The last Friday of the semester rolled around, which meant it was the last tutoring session she and Louis would have together. It occurred to her that they didn’t need to get together, but when he didn’t cancel she chose not to say anything. Clem knew there was a 50/50 chance he didn’t even realize they had nothing left to study. However, she wanted to have their last night together, since she’d be leaving for Georgia the very next day.

Louis would be leaving as well, though up into the Appalachian mountains where he and everyone else would be hanging out at an amazing ski lodge. Much as she appreciated Lee’s gesture, she almost felt like she’d rather be there than in Georgia. The state really wasn’t at its best in the winter time. Plus, she had a sinking feeling that the lodge would also be romantic, which would make it the perfect place for Louis and Sophie to finally end up together.

For a moment she thought he’d finally figured it out when he caught her right before lunch. He called her name as he jogged down the hall to catch up to her.

“Hey, so about tonight,” Louis began when he finally reached her.

“Yeah?” Clem asked, a knot forming in her stomach. Here it came. He probably needed time to pack for his trip anyway. She certainly did.

“You should tell Lee you don’t need a ride,” Louis told her, “My dad’s finally letting me drive the car again.”

“I thought you said it was in the shop,” Clem replied, raising a brow at him.

“Oh. Yeah, sorry. I was just kind of embarrassed to admit the truth. But the good news is, I raised my grades enough to finally satisfy the old man. This caged bird is finally has his wings,” Louis said with a grin, “Anyway, you can meet me in the parking lot after school. If you still want to hang out, that is.”

“Definitely,” Clementine blurted out, adding, “I mean, AJ would be really disappointed if you didn’t come over.”

“Right,” Louis said, a strange look passing over his face for just a second. It disappeared just as quickly as it came, and he continued, “Wouldn’t want to bum the little dude out.”

At that point they’d reached the line where Marlon and Brody were already waiting and waved them over. That ended the conversation, and Clementine wondered if she hadn’t been too eager. Her cheeks felt hot as she quashed down her embarrassment. Instead, she tried to come up with plans to fill the evening. There were a lot more possibilities open now that studying was no longer required. If AJ had his way, Louis would just play video games with him all night. However, she was going to be selfish for once and insist they do something that everyone would enjoy.

Once the day ended, Clementine made her way to the school parking lot. She looked around, eventually spotting the bright orange car that she’d be riding home in. She also noticed Louis and Sophie standing outside of it. Though she couldn’t hear them, she got the distinct feeling that something was off. Her heart clenched as she noticed how close Sophie was standing to Louis, and the way her hand rested on his arm. Suddenly Sophie’s eyes locked on hers, and once she saw Clem, she said her final words to Louis and stormed off.

It occurred to Clementine that they might be arguing about her. After all, it looked pretty bad for Louis to be giving her a ride home. There was a certain implication there, and if Sophie assumed something was going on between them, Clem could see why she might be jealous. She felt a pang of guilt at causing drama for Louis, and wondered if she shouldn’t call off their plans.

Still, she was curious, and when she reached him she couldn’t help but ask, “What was that about?”

“Dunno. Typical teenage angst, maybe?” Louis shrugged, not meeting her gaze. Clementine knew he wasn’t being honest, which only confirmed her fears. Why else wouldn’t he tell her what Sophie was upset about if it didn’t have something to do with her?

* * *

“Oh, you finally got your car back?” Sophie chirped excitedly as she approached him.

“Yeah. Took forever, but she runs like a dream,” Louis remarked, remembering that he’d lied to her, too.

“Awesome! Minnie and Vi ditched me so I was going to get a ride with Ruby or someone. I guess you can be my knight in shining armor instead,” Sophie said with a grin.

Louis raised a brow at her and said, “I’ve never been a knight in shining anything. I’d say I’m more of a court jester, since I’m so damn hilarious.”

“Well, whatever,” Sophie huffed, “Let’s get going. Why were you just standing around out here anyway?”

“Because I was waiting for Clem so I could give her a ride home,” Louis said, adding “I think tonight’s the night, Soph.”

“The night? For what?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m finally going to tell her how I feel,” Louis confessed, his heart pounding just thinking about it.

“You shouldn’t do that,” Sophie exclaimed.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re obviously just rushing into this and haven’t even thought it through!”

“For once in my life, I have. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I met her! If I don’t shoot my shot now, I might not get another chance!” Louis argued with her.

“Yeah, but what makes you think she feels the same way? Has she done or said anything that makes you think she’s interested in you? Because I _definitely_ haven’t seen any signs,” Sophie said, her hands on her hips.

“It’s not like you’re around us all the time!” Louis yelled, “There have been things!”

“Like what?” Sophie asked, raising a brow at him.

“Like the other night. It seemed like we were going to kiss,” Louis told her. He felt his cheeks grow hot admitting something like that out loud.

“Are you sure? Or were you just imagining what you wanted to happen?”

Louis opened his mouth to tell her that he was sure, but after a second he realized she might have a point.

“Well, she’s been helping me study! That has to mean something!”

“You mean like how she studies with Ruby every weekend? Because if that’s the case, then I guess you must have some competition.”

“Okay well…well…” Louis trailed off, unable to come up with any other examples that proved Clementine saw him as anything other than a friend. It amazed him how few words it took to shatter his confidence. Apparently it took fewer than a hundred to remind him that he’d never be anything more to Clementine than a friend.

“Sounds to me like you’re just going to make a fool of yourself if you confess to her,” Sophie said, smirking at him smugly. Her gaze softened a moment later, and she took a step closer to him, reaching out and touching his arm as she continued less harshly, “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. I’m trying to be a good friend, Lou.”

“Yeah, well you’re doing a really shitty job of it,” he snapped before he could stop himself.

She opened her mouth, then glanced over his shoulder, her gaze turning icy. She looked back at him and said, “Do what you want. But don’t come crying to me when she tells you she’s not into you.” And with that, she turned on her heel and marched through the parking lot, likely in search of another ride.

Though he was angry at the way she’d went about it, Sophie had probably saved him a lot of embarrassment, as the plan for his confession was an elaborate one. He’d laid out candles all around the piano room, come up with a really romantic speech, and had put the finishing touches on the song he wrote her. Louis intended to play it, then explain to her all the ways in which she made him feel, and ask her if she felt the same. It wasn’t quite as romantic as it would have been at the lodge—and there wouldn’t be any wine to help him with his words—but it was better than letting her go to Georgia without at least trying.

However, after what Sophie said, he’d rather cut off all his dreadlocks and eat them than subject himself to the humiliation of Clementine’s rejection.

* * *

“Hey, I hope it’s not a big deal, but Lee asked us to pick up AJ since we’d be driving by the elementary school anyway,” Clementine said to break the tense silence. Louis was uncharacteristically quiet, and it was starting to get to her. Part of her was worried that he was upset with her, since it was kind of her fault Sophie was upset with him now.

Her words seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in because he said, “No problemo, Clem-o. I’m sure he’ll be excited to take another spin in this bad boy.”

Clem snorted and said, “Probably. He wouldn’t shut up about how much he liked your car. He even said his new favorite color was orange.”

“Can’t say I blame the little guy. She’s a pretty sweet ride,” Louis said, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

True to her words, the moment AJ saw the car, he was practically sprinting across the school yard to reach them. Clementine got out to let him in, and was just in time to hear him yell, “Clem! Louis has his car back!”

Clementine chuckled and replied, “Yeah, I noticed. I was kind of just in it.”

AJ ignored her statement and pushed past her into the vehicle, saying, “Hi Louis!”

“Hey, little man! How was school?” Louis asked, turning to give him a fist bump by way of a greeting.

“It was fun. Since it was the last day, most of my teachers just had us play games or do whatever we wanted after we finished cleaning out our desks,” AJ told him as he buckled himself in.

“Sounds a lot more fun than my day,” Clementine remarked as she got back into the car.

“Probably,” AJ shrugged, “Did you get to play any games, Clem?”

“Nope. I had a big test instead,” Clementine said.

“Well, we can play games tonight with Louis. You guys don’t have to study anymore, right?”

“Maybe we should let Clem decide what we do for a change,” Louis said before she could respond, “I get the feeling she probably doesn’t want to watch us play video games for the millionth night in a row.”

While that was true, she almost felt like going along with that plan anyway, if only to make AJ and Louis happy. It seemed like Louis actually enjoyed spending that time with AJ. He was even getting better at the games that AJ wanted to play. Plus, she didn’t know what they would do otherwise, so it felt unfair of her to insist on them doing something else.

What do you think, Clem?” Louis asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“I guess I hadn’t really thought about it,” Clementine lied, even though it had been all she’d been thinking about all day, “Maybe we could watch a movie or something?”

“Now that sounds boring,” AJ complained from the back seat.

“Okay, why don’t we play a board game, then? You still like those, don’t you goofball?” Clementine said, turning in her seat to face AJ.

“Video games are better,” AJ pouted, his arms folded across his chest.

“I’m sure we can find a board game you like more,” Louis said, adding, “I can make anything more fun than video games.”

“I don’t believe you,” AJ replied.

“You don’t believe me? I’m hurt, little dude” Louis said, holding his hand over his chest, “Guess you’ll just have to let me prove it, won’t you?”

“I don’t know…” AJ said, seeming unconvinced.

“How about this? We play one board game, and if I can make it more fun than your video games, we watch a movie like Clem wants to. And if it turns out I’m wrong, then we play video games like you want to. Deal?”

AJ paused for a moment, then said, “Deal.”

As it turned out, Louis was able to live up to his promise. They wound up playing Clue, and with him using silly voices for all the characters as well as developing elaborate backstories for each of them, he managed to have AJ in stitches by the time the game was over. Even Clementine couldn’t help but try to stifle her giggles as Louis went into dramatics over how he’d been pushed to murder Mr. Boddy because he was planning on removing his character (Miss Scarlet) from his will.

“And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids!” Louis yelled in a high falsetto, still imitating Miss Scarlet.

“Wait, isn’t that from Scooby Doo?” Clementine asked him in between chuckles.

“Hey, a little copyright infringement never hurt anyone! Besides, it’s the truth. Now I’ll be going to jail until I’m old and wrinkly!” Louis continued, not breaking character. Instead, he pretended to faint, his hand going to his forehead as he slumped into his chair.

AJ was doubled over with laughter as Lee walked into the room and said, “Sounds like I missed quite the game. You all right over there, Louis?”

At his intrusion, Louis’s eyes popped open and he straightened immediately, his smile sheepish as he said, “Yeah, sorry about that. I can get a little carried away sometimes.”

“Fine by me. I haven’t seen AJ laugh this hard in a while,” Lee said, his lips upturned as he put his hand on AJ’s shoulder, “He really did a number on you, huh kiddo?”

“Yeah, Dad,” AJ said as he wiped a tear from his eye, “Louis was so funny. He even tried to pull a leg off the chair to use as a weapon when we accused him of murder.”

Lee’s brow quirked up, and he glanced back at Louis, saying, “Is that right?”

“Only for dramatic effect, sir. I promise,” Louis answered, putting one hand up and the other on his heart.

“Well, as long as none of the furniture is actually wrecked, I think I’ll get over it,” Lee chuckled, adding, “So what’s next for you kids?”

“Video games!” AJ cried excitedly, standing up from the table.

“Ah, ah,” Louis tutted, “I seem to remember us making a deal in the car. I’d say that game we played was way more fun than any video game you have. Sounds to me like we’ll be watching a movie, right Clem?”

“Yep. Looks that way,” Clementine nodded.

AJ froze for a moment before he turned around and whined, “Do we have to?”

“That’s how a deal works, goofball,” Clem told him, rising and making her way to the living room.

“Can we make a new deal?” AJ asked, following after her.

“Nope,” Clementine answered as she started to look over their selection of DVDs.

“Can we at least watch a good movie?” AJ asked, pushing in between her and the shelf so that he could pick one out.

Clementine figured she’d let him have this one and said, “Sure, AJ. What do you want to watch?”

That was enough to placate him, and he eventually settled on _The Princess Bride._ It was a classic that Lee had insisted they watch, and it had become one of AJ’s favorites. She imagined it had something to do with all the sword fighting, which he liked to imitate from time to time. Clem had liked it too, though it had more to do with the romance between Buttercup and Westley. She wasn’t much for love stories, but there was just something so satisfying about them defying the odds and ending up together. They went through so much and had so many near misses that made the ending that much sweeter.

Louis had not actually seen the movie, so Clementine was glad to watch it, if only to expose him to the goodness that was the film.

As the movie played, Louis eventually settled into the couch, slinging his arm across the back of it. This distracted Clem as she had chosen to sit next to Louis. She was certain he didn’t mean anything by it, but all it would take would be a small move, and his arm would be wrapped around her shoulders instead. Every so often she’d glance over at the inviting spot where his shoulder joined the rest of his body. It looked as though she’d fit there perfectly, and she had to resist the urge to scoot closer and snuggle up to him.

When the movie was over, Clem wracked her brain something else they could do so Louis wouldn’t have to leave. It felt like the night had flown by, when all she wanted was for it to last forever. Time felt like sand slipping easily through her fingers, and she willed it to slow down. However, all her metaphorical fingers could do was grasp uselessly as the fine grains slid away from her.

“I’ll admit, I had my doubts, but that was a way better movie than I thought it would be,” Louis said, rising as the credits rolled.

“Yeah, it’s great because it really has something for everyone,” Clementine agreed, standing with him. AJ remained on the couch, as he had fallen asleep during the movie, likely tired out by the excitement of the day.

The two of them stood there awkwardly, tension hanging in the air. She tried and failed to come up with something else for them to do, knowing that if she didn’t he’d probably go.

“So…” Louis began, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Clem asked him suddenly, cringing at the awkwardness of the suggestion.

“A walk?” Louis replied, raising a brow at her.

“Yeah, you know. Get some fresh air, enjoy the stars, that sort of thing?”

At first she thought he was going to say no, but a moment later he nodded and said, “Sure. But if I get frostbite, I’m sending you my doctor’s bills.”

Clem laughed, the tension leaving her as she replied, “Your family is the one with money, not mine. I’m sure you could handle those bills fine on your own.”

The two of them bickered back and forth as they put on their shoes and coats. It occurred to her that she should probably tell Lee where she was going, but she didn’t think they’d be gone long enough for him to notice. Besides, she was almost 18. She didn’t need to ask his permission for every little thing.

The night air was bracing, clouds forming in front of their mouths as they talked and meandered down the sidewalk. In truth, Clementine hadn’t really explored her own neighborhood. This was the first time she’d walked around in it, which meant she didn’t have a destination in mind for them. All she really wanted was to spend just a few more minutes with him before things would likely change between them forever.

She hadn’t really thought about what it would mean if he started dating Sophie, but if today was any indication, it probably wasn’t good. Just the way Sophie had looked at her made Clem realize that she and Louis probably wouldn’t hang out one-on-one ever again. She wondered if Louis would be happy dating someone who was the jealous type, but figured he’d probably find it flattering more than anything.

“So, where are we going anyway?” Louis asked her, breaking her train of thought.

“Umm…” Clementine started. She was unsure if she should admit the truth, but conveniently saw a park in the distance and pointed it out, saying, “There.”

“A park? You know how long it’s been since I played in a park?”

“Long enough that you’ll think it’s fun?”

“Touche. Let’s hope you’re right. I’ll race you!”

And with that he was off, getting a decent head start on her. Clementine chased after him, laughing all the way. Naturally, Louis won, but only because he hadn’t given her a fair shot.

When she told him as much, he chuckled and said, “You should always expect the unexpected with me. Sounds more like it’s your fault for not being prepared.”

“Whatever,” Clementine said, rolling her eyes, “We should race back to my place. I bet I’d beat you then.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see. For now, I’m going to swing. That was always my favorite part of recess,” Louis said, ambling over to the swing set which had two seats.

“Somehow I picture you as more of merry-go-round kind of kid. Anything to burn off all that extra energy,” Clem told him. She joined him on the swings, though she did little more than just push herself back and forth.

Eventually, Louis slowed down until he was barely moving, which matched her pace. Clem could feel his eyes on her, but she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the ground. Knowing she was so close to the end of their time together sort of put a damper on her mood, but she didn’t want to talk about it with him.

“Hey, Clem. You in there somewhere?” Louis asked, pushing himself over so he bumped her lightly.

“Yeah, sorry,” Clementine replied shooting him a quick smile in hopes he wouldn’t notice the shift in her mood.

Unfortunately that wasn’t enough, and he kept himself turned towards her as he asked, “Everything okay? I know you don’t talk as much as I do, but goddamn. You’re being quiet right now. Like, creepy quiet. Like, contemplating murdering me out here quiet.”

Clem couldn’t help but chuckle at his stupid jokes and shook her head, saying, “I’m fine. Just a little lost in thought.”

“Thinking about your trip?” he asked, pushing his swing around a little.

Nope. She was thinking of his trip, and the likely outcome it would have.

“Yeah, kind of,” Clem lied with a shrug, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen everybody, you know? What if it’s weird?”

“It’s only weird if you make it weird. Besides, I’m sure they’ll be crazy happy to see you,” Louis told her reassuringly, adding “I know I would be.”

She turned her gaze back at him, her heart fluttering as they locked eyes. There was something in the way he’d said those words that made her think there was something behind him. That, combined with the way he was looking at her had her feeling suddenly brave.

“I was also thinking about how I’m going to miss our study sessions,” Clementine said, scraping her feet against the small rocks on the ground.

Louis’s eyes widened slightly, his mouth dropping open in a small ‘o.’ He composed himself a moment later, his voice soft as he said, “I will, too. I honestly can’t believe it’s over already. Really wish it wasn’t.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Clem told him, facing him fully, “Louis, I have something that I need to—”

At that moment, Clem’s phone rang loudly in the stillness of the night, causing them both to jump. She shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled it out, seeing Lee’s name illuminated on the screen.

Clementine slid the button to answer, pressing the phone to her ear as she said, “Hey Lee, what’s up?”

“Where are you Clementine?” he asked her, a nervous edge to his voice.

“Louis and I just went for a walk to the park,” Clem explained. She could tell by his tone that she’d be in trouble when she got back.

“You know I don’t like you out walking around this late at night, even if you do have someone with you. I want you to come home. Now.” Based on his words and their cadence, she sensed there was no room for argument.

“Sorry, we’ll head back now. See you soon.”

“Okay. Just be safe, Clem. See you in a bit.”

As the line went dead, so did her chance to tell Louis how she felt. The mood had shifted, and whatever wayward confidence had overtaken her before had now evaporated into thin air. Maybe it was better that way. Besides the few times where she thought they’d almost kiss (likely just her imagination) he hadn’t done anything to make her think he returned her feelings.

“What were you going to say?” Louis asked, regaining her attention.

“Nothing,” Clem replied quickly, “Anyway, that was Lee. Sounds like I’m in trouble. We should head back before he decides to ground me.”

With that, she rose from the swing and walked back in the direction of her house. Louis followed after her, and the two of them didn’t speak until they said their goodbyes at his car.

“Have fun up at the ski lodge,” Clementine said as she lingered by the door, “Don’t get mauled by any mountain lions or whatever.”

“I think we’ll be safe in the lodge, which is where I plan on spending most of my time. You have fun, too, eating peaches all winter break,” Louis replied.

“There’s more to eat in Georgia besides peaches,” Clem told him, waiting for him to reach for his door handle at any moment. Strangely, he seemed more than content to linger in the street with her.

“I highly doubt that. Why else would they call it ‘the Peach State?’”

“Because they _grow_ peaches there. Not because that’s all they eat.”

“Just make sure you bring me back a peach. If you’re not too sick of them, that is,” Louis said with a smirk, finally moving to get into his car.

In a moment of impulse, Clementine stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a hug goodbye. She almost thought he wasn’t going to return it, until his arms circled around her shoulders, pulling her close, the scent of his cologne washing over her.

There was something strangely final in the embrace, though she supposed that was because this would be the last hug she’d give him as a single man. The next time she saw him, he’d be dating Sophie. The thought made her heart squeeze painfully in her chest.

Eventually he pulled away, his hands resting on her shoulders as he looked down into her eyes and said, “Goodbye, Clem.”

“Goodbye, Louis,” she replied, equally as somber.

They lingered a moment longer, his hands sliding down her arms until they reached her hands. Louis gave them a quick squeeze and then he got into his car. She watched him drive down the road, and found herself wishing she’d said something after all. Now the only thing she’d be left with were regrets and what-ifs that would probably keep her up at night.

Once his tail lights disappeared, she sighed softly and went into her house, certain that she’d let something special slip through her fingers for good.


	20. Chapter 20

The day of the big ski trip had finally arrived, though Louis hardly felt as much excitement as the rest of his friends. A dark cloud hung over him, causing him to be uncharacteristically quiet for the majority of the drive up. While everyone else chattered excitedly about the heated pool, the movie room, and all the other amenities the lodge had to offer, Louis simply stared out the window. Instead of with his friends, his mind was elsewhere, on the plane to Georgia with Clementine.

About halfway through the drive, Marlon—who called shotgun and refused to switch with anyone—finally turned in his seat and said, “What’s up with you, dude?”

“Nothing, man. What’s up with you?” Louis asked, annoyed that his brooding had been interrupted.

“You haven’t said more than, like, two words since we started driving. You usually won’t shut the fuck up,” Marlon said. The look on his face suggested he knew what cat had gotten Louis’s tongue, and he was grateful his friend chose not to point it out.

“I for one find his silence to be a refreshing change of pace,” Aasim remarked from the driver’s seat, a smirk on his face as he added, “That gives the rest of us a chance to get a word in edgewise.”

“You know, Aasim, if you actually had something interesting to say I’d probably give you more chances. Just saying,” Louis volleyed back, not in the right mood to be messed with.

“Hey, fuck you, man. I can turn my Jeep around any time,” Aasim told him, his eyes hard in the rearview mirror.  
  


“Look, everybody needs to fucking cool it,” Marlon said in a commanding tone, “This trip is supposed to be fun. Why don’t we leave the cat fighting to the girls?”

Louis rolled his eyes and said, “You’re the one who poked the bear.”

“I was just trying to figure out why the guy who had the idea for this trip in the first place is the only person who’s not having any fun,” Marlon said.

“Yeah, dude. You’re acting like you’d rather be anywhere else. What gives?” Mitch piped up from where he sat in between Louis and Omar.

Louis heaved a sigh and replied, “I think I blew it with Clementine.”

“Seriously? You’re letting fucking girl problems get to you?” Mitch scoffed.

“You don’t have to be a dick about it, Mitch,” Omar said, “You let girls distract you all the time. Hell, if we had better reception, you’d probably be texting three different girls right now.”

“Yeah, that’s different,” Mitch defended, turning his attention away from Louis, “I would never let some chick get me all depressed. If they’re that much trouble, I just say fuck ‘em and leave ‘em.”

“Okay, first of all, Clementine is not ‘some chick,’” Louis started, “And second of all, since I’m the one who planned this trip, I should be able to spend my time how I want to. And if that means staring out the window and sighing dramatically, then that’s my god given right.”

“Whatever you say, dude. The rest of us will be having a good time whenever you feel like pulling your head out of your ass,” Mitch said with a shrug.

“I think what Mitch means to say is that things with Clem probably aren’t as bad as you think they are, and you shouldn’t let that keep you from having fun while we’re up here. He just doesn’t know how to go about it without being a fucking asshole,” Marlon amended, shooting a glare in Mitch’s direction.

“Oh they’re definitely as bad as I think they are,” Louis said, adding, “She’s going back to Georgia for winter break.”

“So what? It’s not like she’s never coming back, dude,” Marlon told him.

“Yeah, but Gabe is in Georgia, and if he likes Clem half as much as I do, he’s not going to let her come back to Charles Town without making her his girl.”

“Who the fuck is Gabe?” Mitch asked as he cracked open a beer.

“You better chug that right now. I’m not getting a ticket for having an open container,” Aasim scolded from the front.

“Yeah, we’re not even at the lodge yet, man. You really can’t wait?” Omar said, his brow raised.

“Vacation Mitch wants to have fun, and that includes drinking beer at 9:00 am. But fine, if you’re going to be pussies about it, I can chug it.” And with that, he downed the beer in under a minute, letting out a loud belch afterwards and crushing the can between his hands.

“So anyway,” Marlon said, steering the conversation back to Louis, “Who exactly is Gabe?”

At that, Louis launched into the explanation of what Ruby had told him a couple months back. Everyone listened raptly as he described how she’d had a crush on this guy for a long time, and when she moved, he started dating someone else. He also explained how that had made him hesitant to act on his feelings, since he didn’t just want to be some rebound to her.

“Okay, so this guy has a girlfriend? What’s the big fucking deal then?” Mitch asked with a shake of his head.

“The big deal is that he’s probably going to realize that he should never have let Clem go, and the rest will be history. He’ll dump whatever new girl he started dating, and ask Clem to be his girlfriend instead,” Louis said as if it was the most obvious conclusion.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, man. Seems kind of stupid if you ask me,” Marlon said.

“So you’re telling me you’ve never dumped a girl so you could go out with a different girl?” Louis challenged, his arms folding across his chest.

There was an awkward silence afterwards, as everyone remembered the number of times both Mitch and Marlon had done exactly that.

“Yeah, but that was for chicks who were in the immediate vicinity. No guy is going to dump a girl who lives in the same city as him so he can get with some other girl who lives, like, 300 miles away. That’s fucking stupid,” Mitch explained.

“You guys don’t get it. Clem is special,” Louis said, picturing her amber eyes and the delicate curls of her hair poking out from under her hat.

“If she’s so goddamn special why didn’t you ask her out then?” Mitch asked, a question that was likely on everyone’s mind.

“I guess I just chickened out,” Louis sighed as he turned to stare back out the window.

“Look, you don’t know for sure this Gabe dude is going to make a move on her, so stop worrying about it. Once we get to the lodge, we’ll get you a beer and start having some fun. You’ll forget all about it,” Marlon said, giving Louis’s knee a quick pat before he swiveled in his seat so he was facing forward.

Louis doubted that was true, but figured enough beer would probably help him along. Still, every so often he’d check his phone to see if she’d texted him, only to be disappointed that she hadn’t. He wondered what she was doing now, and hoped she was at least having more fun than he was.

* * *

As it turned out, she wasn’t. Their flight to Georgia got delayed which meant spending several more hours in the airport than they’d initially planned. That gave her more time to brood than she’d expected, which was something she’d been hoping to avoid. The flight long enough already, and that would have given her plenty of time to stew about Louis, Gabe, and everything else that had been bothering her lately. That, combined with AJ’s whining, made her mood a sour one.

She kept checking her phone in hopes that Louis might have sent her a message. However, after about the fourth time of being disappointed, she gave up. He was probably having fun with everyone and not thinking about her at all. She supposed that was for the best. At least one of them needed to have fun on their vacation.

“When is the plane gonna leave?” AJ asked for what felt like the millionth time.

“We don’t know, goofball,” Clementine told him through gritted teeth from where she sat next to an outlet on the floor, “We just have to wait for them to announce that we’re boarding.”

“I don’t want to wait anymore,” AJ whined, slumping against his seat, “We were supposed to leave forever ago.”

Clementine willed the universe to grant her a little more patience so she wouldn’t snap at him. She didn’t want to hear another word about how long they were waiting or how he didn’t want to be in the airport anymore. Part of her knew that her irritation with him had more to do with how on edge she was than anything to do with AJ. However, that didn’t stop her from having to bite her tongue when he turned to Lee and asked him if he could make the plane get here sooner.

“I’m afraid not, kiddo,” Lee replied, putting down his newspaper, “You’re just going to have to be patient a little longer. Here, play with your Gameboy.” At that, Lee reached into his carry-on and pulled out the Nintendo Switch, handing it to AJ so that he’d have something to distract him.

“What’s a Gameboy?” AJ asked as he took the Switch from Lee and instantly buried himself into _Super Smash Bros._

“Is that not a Gameboy?” Lee asked, looking at Clem.

“No, Lee,” Clem said with a shake of her head, “It’s called a Switch. You should know. You bought it for him.”

“Back in my day all we had was Atari. You kids have all kinds of game systems now. You’ll have to cut your old man some slack if he can’t remember all of them,” Lee said as he went back to his paper.

With AJ no longer asking questions, that left Clementine to her own devices, specifically her phone. Even though she’d given up on Louis texting her at all, she couldn’t stop herself from checking Instagram and Facebook obsessively to see if anyone had posted anything from the trip. So far there was just a Facebook post from Marlon that said, ‘with my bois on the way to the lodge!!!’ and an Instagram post from Sophie of snow-covered pine trees tagged #mountainaesthetic, #vacay, #besties.

Clem sighed and shoved her earbuds into her ears, hoping some music would drown out her feelings of missing out. Unfortunately, every song reminded her of Louis, so even that didn’t help. As she shuffled through each playlist, she couldn’t find a single one that didn’t make her think of him in some way or another. It was frustrating enough that she almost wanted to toss her phone across the terminal.

Thankfully, boarding began not long after, and the flight went by more quickly than she expected. She had packed all three of the books from _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, and buried herself in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien to pass the time. That proved to be distracting enough, and by the time they finally landed, her mood had improved slightly.

It took a nosedive, however, when they arrived at Kenny and Katjaa’s house, and she found that a certain someone had decided not to come.

“Clementine!” Sarah shouted as she rushed out the front door to greet her. Clem had barely found her footing on Kenny’s front lawn when Sarah engulfed her in a hug, almost knocking her over.

“Good to see you, too, Sarah,” Clem said, her voice muffled by Sarah’s jacket as she regained her balance.

“I can’t believe it’s really you! I feel like we haven’t seen each other in forever!” Sarah gushed, pulling back to look at her. She still wore the same red-rimmed glasses, but Clem was happy to see that she’d finally gotten her braces removed.

“Yeah, seven months is a long time,” Clementine replied, looping one of her arms into Sarah’s, and carrying her suitcase in her other hand, “You’re going to have to fill me in on everything I missed.”

When they entered the house, Clem’s stomach was in knots as she glanced around, wondering when Gabe was going to make an appearance. Part of her was anxious that he’d brought Jane, but she figured she’d have to face his new girlfriend eventually. She wondered if Gabe had even mentioned her to Jane, but decided that if he hadn’t it was probably for the best.

Instead of Gabe, she was wrapped up in several pairs of arms belonging to Kenny, Katjaa, and Duck. It was a sweet group hug, and just what she needed to remind her that not everything she’d left behind in Georgia had been lost. She’d been so focused on everything with Gabe that she hadn’t stopped to think about all the people she’d be visiting that still cared about her.

“It’s good to see you, Clementine,” Kenny said when they all pulled away from her.

“Yes, so good. You look well, so strong and beautiful” Katjaa added, grabbing her face to look at her more closely.

“Cut it out, Mom,” Duck said, looping his arm around Clementine’s shoulder to steer her into the kitchen. She expected to see Gabe next, but he was still nowhere to be found.

“What?” Katjaa called after them, “She’s like a daughter to me! I’m allowed to dote on her!”

Duck just snorted and rolled his eyes as he sat down at the table where Sarah was waiting for them, and gestured for Clem to do the same. When she joined them, Clem took one more look around, but besides Lee, Kenny, and Katjaa catching up and AJ still messing with his Switch, she didn’t see anybody else.

“Where’s Gabe?” she asked, not wanting to beat around the bush. No sense ignoring the elephant in the room after all. At her question, Sarah and Duck shared a look which told Clem all she needed to know. “He didn’t come, did he?”

“No, he didn’t,” Sarah told her sadly, reaching out to pat her hand.

“Did he say why?”

Another uneasy look, followed by Duck saying, “He just said it was probably better this way.”

“So he knew I was coming, decided he didn’t want to see me? What the fuck?” Clementine had thought things would be awkward, but this was on a whole other level.

“Language, Clem!” Sarah scolded. She was notoriously straight-laced due to her very strict upbringing. She even considered ‘shoot’ and ‘darn it’ to be a little too close to cursing. It was something that Clem had forgotten in her absence.

“Yeah, since when do you say stuff like that?” Duck asked, raising a brow at her.

“Sorry, I just got caught up in the moment,” Clem said, slightly ducking the truth. She hadn’t realized how much influence her new group of friends had had on her, and thought it best to keep that to herself until later.

“Look, I know you’re upset, but maybe it really is for the best?” Duck suggested, “He said the last time you two talked it was really weird.”

Clementine snorted and said, “Oh was it? Did he tell you who made it weird?”

Duck looked uneasy and replied, “No. He just said it was weird.”

Clem opened her mouth to tell them everything about it, but thought better of it at the last second. She was only in Georgia for a couple of weeks. What was the point in making waves?

“Let’s just say it wasn’t my fault and leave it at that,” Clem finally said, the thought of the exchange leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Well, I don’t want to be in the middle of anything. You’re both my friends, so I’m not taking sides,” Duck said, rising from the table, “I’m going to go rescue AJ from all the boring adult conversation. His Switch just died and I think they’re driving him nuts already.”

When he was gone, Sarah leaned over the table and said, “If it makes you feel better, I’m one hundred percent on your side. Gabe is being totally uncool right now.”

“No kidding. I know I moved away, but come on. I can’t believe he didn’t want to see me,” Clem said, pulling out her phone to give him a piece of her mind.

“Hey, don’t text him when you’re mad. Just sleep on it for the night, okay?” Sarah implored as she put her hand over Clementine’s to stop her from texting, “Kenny said he wanted to have a big family dinner and then do a game night. I bet you’ll forget all about Gabe after a while.”

Clementine seriously doubted it, but she didn’t want to burst Sarah’s peppy bubble. She always looked on the bright side of things, another facet of her sheltered upbringing. Maybe it was time Clem started doing the same. However, her phone felt heavy in her pocket all evening, reminding her that she couldn’t let go of all the hurt she felt just yet. Not until she figured out how he could go from being one of her best friends to just dropping her like it was nothing.

After everyone went to bed, Clem stayed up, trying and failing to compose a message to Gabe. There wasn’t much she could think to say to convey her feelings over text. Eventually she decided it would be better to face him in person, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

**Clementine [00:46]:** _Look, I don’t know why you didn’t show up today, but it doesn’t matter._ _We need to talk. I’m coming to see you tomorrow._


	21. Chapter 21

As it turned out, the beers that Mitch brought did little to help Louis forget Clementine. If anything, it only made him think about her more. He thought about the fact that she wasn’t here. He thought about where she was instead. He thought about the way she’d looked the last time he saw her, and the way she’d felt in his arms.

He also thought about how he’d probably never get to hug her again, and how he’d lost his chance to tell her how he felt.

All those thoughts and feelings swirling around in his head amounted to the first night at the lodge being a blur for him. Only bits and pieces of the evening remained, along with flashes of memories that underscored his pounding headache. Louis only managed to crack open his eyes against the blinding light of the early afternoon sun. Its glare was magnified by the snowy peaks that surrounded the lodge.

When he was finally able to take in his surroundings, Louis realized he’d managed to pass out on the couch. Not before someone had generously supplied him with a trash can in case he lost his lunch, however. He also noted that he was covered with one of the many throws that decorated the room. Whoever had taken care of him last night deserved a thank you. If only he remembered who that was.

“How you feelin’ sunshine?” Violet’s voice came from above him. She held a bowl of cereal in her hands as she smirked down at him.

“Like shit, Vi,” Louis replied, his voice muffled by the couch, “Any way you can turn down the sun?”

Violet joined him on the couch, shoving his feet over as she said, “Nope. But hey, this place is fucking fancy. Don’t you have some automatic blinds or whatever?”

“Hey, be gentle,” Louis protested as she pushed him over. He sat up and pulled the throw around him, adding, “And no, it doesn’t. Or at least, I think it doesn’t. I haven’t been up here in a long time.”

“Then how’d you know there wouldn’t be some serial killer squatting here?” Violet asked, taking a bite of her cereal.

“I guess I didn’t. But you know me. I like to live in the moment,” Louis shrugged. He noticed a bottle of water on the coffee table, and reached for it, silently thanking whoever had been so thoughtful last night.

“So now that you’re sober, what are you going to do about Gabe?” Violet said, causing him to choke on his water.

“Who told you about Gabe?” Louis managed to wheeze out when his coughs finally subsided.

“You did. You wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it,” Violet told him around a mouthful of cereal.

“You mean last night?”

“Yeah, dude. You stood on the coffee table and told us all about how you blew it with Clementine and now she was going to be swept off her feet by some guy named Gabe. You were practically in tears,” Vi chuckled with a shake of her head.

Louis groaned and put his head in his hands, saying, “Shit. I can’t believe I did that.”

“I can,” Violet snorted, “You’re so head over heels in love with Clem that it’s kinda gross. I didn’t realize how bad you had it for her.”

“It’s not like it matters now,” Louis sighed, slumping into the plush couch cushions, “I really did blow it. I lost my chance. I let her go to Georgia and I’ll probably regret it for the rest of my life.”

At that, Vi rolled her eyes nearly into the back of her skull before she fixed him with a piercing gaze and said, “You are being _way_ more dramatic than you need to be.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You and Minnie never had to deal with all this bullshit,” Louis shot back.

“Yeah, because I had the balls to tell her how I felt. Sounds to me like you just needed to grow a pair,” Violet replied, causing him to protest. She held up her hand and continued, saying, “As far as I’m concerned there’s still time. Until she and this Gabe douche make it official, Clem’s fair game. So, what are you going to do about it?”

“What can I do? She’s in Georgia and I’m here. So unless you can build me the world’s first ever teleportation device, I’m pretty much fucked.”

“Ya sure will be with that attitude,” Ruby said, suddenly joining their conversation, “I told you to wait a little while! Not forever!”

“Okay, I waited a little longer than a little while! Fucking sue me!” Louis exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

“Is Sleeping Beauty finally awake? Did anybody tell him about the show he put on last night?” Minnie asked from the hall as she entered the room, Sophie following after her.

“Yes, I was informed. I should have charged you all admission since I was apparently the evening’s entertainment,” Louis replied, adding, “I could, however, forgive your debt to me for the low low price of you guys not being total assholes about everything.”

“Hey, I was trying to help. They’re the ones being assholes,” Violet said from beside him.

“Whatever, Vi! We’re the ones who stopped you from Sharpie-ing dicks all over his face,” Brody said, joining them all on the large sectional.

“Okay, but I was the one who stopped him from drunk-dialing Clementine, so I think a little Sharpie to the face would have been fair repayment,” Vi shrugged.

“Wait, I tried to call Clem? Did I actually do it? Please tell me I didn’t actually do it,” Louis said, standing up too quickly from the couch to find his phone. All the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head in that moment, and he had to sit down before he fell into the coffee table.

“Stop freaking out. I told you, I stopped you,” Violet told him as she fished his phone out of her pocket and handed it to him.

“Thank god. I owe you one, Vi. Hell, I owe you way more than just one,” Louis sighed, thankful he had friends who were looking out for him, even if those friends also wanted to draw dicks on his face while he slept.

Violet rolled her eyes and said, “Well, you can pay me back by not bitching about Clem all weekend.”

“You’re the one who said I should come up with some kind of plan to keep her from getting together with Gabe. How can I do that if I’m not allowed to talk about her?”

“Fine. We can have one brainstorming session right now, then we’re done and you can go back to being normal, fun Louis. Deal?” The expression on Vi’s face suggested she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and Louis had to wonder how he found himself surrounded by so many strong-willed women.

“Deal. What should I do?” Louis looked around at all his female friends, who seemed significantly more sympathetic than the guys had in the car the day before (with the exception of Violet).

“Just ask her out over text. What’s the worst that could happen?” Minnie suggested.

“Uh, how ‘bout that she’d say no?” Ruby said with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, but it’d be way less embarrassing for Louis to get rejected over text, don’t you think?” Minnie argued back.

Brody glared at the two redheads before looking at Louis and saying, “Don’t listen to them. I think if you just text her every once in a while and let her know you’re thinking about her that’ll do the trick. Girls like it when you make ‘em feel special.”

“You don’t think she’d find it a little pathetic that I’m constantly texting her? Especially when I supposed to be on vacation?” Louis asked, though he liked the thought of having an excuse to talk to her.

“Not if she likes you back, doofus,” Minnie replied, “There isn’t much else you can do. Just don’t let her forget about you.”

“Yeah! You gotta keep her interested. Send her pictures, that kinda thing,” Ruby added.

“Okay, _do not_ send her dick pics,” Violet said, shooting Ruby a glare.

“Hey, I didn’t say ‘dick pics!’ I meant like, pictures of all of us havin’ fun. So she can be reminded of what she’s missin’ and stuff!” Ruby defended.

“Did I hear someone say ‘dick pics?’” Marlon asked as he finally sauntered in and plopped down next to Brody, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

“Not in the way you’re thinking,” Minnie said.

“Look, I don’t judge. I just don’t want to see pictures of some random guy’s junk. It’s way too early for that shit,” Marlon said.

“Is that what you ladies do when we’re not around? Pass around your collection of dick pics?” Mitch said as he flopped into one of the plush recliners adjacent to them and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“If I hear another word about ‘dick pics’ I’m going to leave,” Aasim sighed when he entered the room. He was carrying two cups of coffee, one of which he gave to Ruby as he walked past her. The gesture caused her cheeks to turn pink, and everyone shared a knowing look.

“Yeah, if you guys keep talking about that you’re probably not going to want to eat the breakfast I’m making,” Omar told them, popping his head into the room.

“Which is what exactly?” Louis asked, unsure if he would be able to stomach any food.

“Sausages,” he said with a wink, causing everyone to laugh. “Eggs, too. They’ll be ready soon. You guys may as well migrate to the dining room now.”

As everyone around him rose, Louis slumped back onto the couch, perfectly content to skip breakfast. He was queasy enough without adding anything else to the mix. Instead, he took a drink of water and hoped his headache would subside in time for him to join everyone by the heated pool.

He noticed that Sophie was lingering on the couch, and turned to her, saying, “You better get in there, Soph. If you don’t, Marlon will probably eat your share. Or Mitch. Or both of them will fight over it while Vi swoops in and steals it from them.”

She’d been unusually quiet during their brainstorming session, though he had no idea why. Sophie had been so eager to tell him what to do before, especially the last time they talked. He wondered if maybe she was as hungover as he was.

“I’m not that hungry,” she finally said, giving him a half-smile, “Besides, I thought you might want some company. We could even do some more brainstorming if you want.”

“You sure? The last time we talked, you told me I shouldn’t tell her I liked her. In fact, you seemed pretty convinced that she was going to brutally reject me. Maybe even rip my heart out of my chest and stomp all over it,” Louis said, eyeing her suspiciously.

Sophie shrugged and said, “I was just in a shitty mood that day. You know how much I hate it when Minnie and Vi ditch me.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Louis agreed, though he wasn’t totally convinced.

“Look, how about I help you come up with some flirty messages to send her. That’s my specialty,” Sophie said, sliding across the couch until she was sitting next to him, much closer than he expected.

Louis pulled the throw around himself a little tighter and considered telling her no. It seemed a little weird to have someone else do the flirting for him, especially since he wanted Clem to like him for him. Plus, he had a feeling if she ever found out that someone else was using his phone to talk to her, she’d be pretty pissed.

“I think I’m good for now, Soph,” he finally said, noting her crestfallen look, “But hey, you’ll be the first person I come to when I actually send her a text.”

She looked like she had something to say, but before she could, Marlon poked his head into the living room and said, “Dude! Everyone knows the best cure for a hangover is greasy food! I don’t want to hear you bitching all day, so go grab a plate.”

Louis sighed and rolled his eyes, saying to Sophie, “He’s probably right.”

“I’m always right,” Marlon interjected.

“Plus, he won’t leave me alone until I do what he says, so I guess I’m getting breakfast. You coming, Soph?”

“I guess,” she muttered, rising off the couch and quickly brushing past Marlon.

“What’d you do to her?” Marlon asked him as he wobbled towards him.

“Dunno,” Louis shrugged, though he assumed it had something to do with his rejection of her offer to help.

“Must be her period,” Marlon said, nodding sagely.

* * *

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sarah asked her for the millionth time as they finally made it to Gabe’s house.

“He owes me an explanation,” Clem repeated, unbuckling her seat belt.

“Yeah, but his whole family is probably home. What if he gets mad at you and yells at you in front of everybody?” Sarah stuttered out.

“That’s the least of my worries,” Clementine said. She paused with her hand on the door handle, and turned to Sarah, adding, “Look, we were friends for a really long time. I can accept that it’s over. I just want to know why.”

At that, Sarah’s eyes softened and though Clem could tell she was still nervous, she said, “Good luck, Clem.”

Clementine nodded and exited the vehicle, striding up the small sidewalk and up the stairs to his front door. She knocked three times and waited, half-expecting no one to answer. However, after a moment the door opened and she saw Gabe’s step-mom, Kate.

“Oh my gosh! Clementine!” she exclaimed, a broad smile on her face. Kate swung the door open wider and reached out for a hug, saying, “It’s been a while. How you doing, kid?”

Clementine smiled in spite of her mood and hugged Kate, saying, “Good, actually. Is Gabe home?”

“Yeah, he’s upstairs. He didn’t say anything about you coming to town. I’m assuming this is a surprise visit?” Kate asked, a twinkle in her eyes.

Clem wanted to tell her the truth, but thought better of it, and said, “Uh, yeah, kind of. Can you let him know I’m here?”

At that, Kate’s smile faded, but she chose not to question her meaning. Instead, she said, “Yeah, I’ll go get him. I’m sure he’s going to freak when he sees you.”

Clementine knew for a fact that he wouldn’t, but she chose not to disagree. Instead, she folded her arms over her chest and waited silently in the foyer. She could hear the television in the other room, and assumed Mariana was watching cartoons. In another life, she would have gone straight in to say hi and made herself at home on the couch. Now, she felt like a stranger or an intruder, and she marveled at how a few months could change things so drastically.

Gabe finally appeared, looking much the same as she’d left him. His dark hair still poked out of the same beanie he’d been wearing since freshman year, though he’d chosen to grow out his facial hair, probably because of his girlfriend. The biggest difference she saw was the indifference in his eyes when he saw her. It felt like he was looking right through her, a thought that both angered and pained her.

“You want to talk outside?” he finally asked after a few tense seconds. Clementine nodded, and the two of them walked down the hall to the sliding glass doors. David happened to be in the kitchen, and greeted her with as much surprise as Kate. This only served to reinforce the feeling that she wasn’t really welcome here anymore. Not in the way she used to be, anyway.

When they finally made it out to the patio, Clementine crossed her arms over her chest and stared Gabe down, waiting for him to speak. She’d be damned if she gave him the satisfaction of her talking first. After everything they’d been through, he owed her more than that.

“So…” Gabe finally began, scuffling his feet against the pavement as he refused to meet her gaze.

Clementine remained silent, continuing to stare at him with her bright amber eyes.

Gabe chuckled nervously and said, “How’ve you been?”

Clem scoffed and rolled her eyes, saying, “You’d know if you bothered to talk to me once in a while.”

Gabe had the decency to wince, and for a moment she felt her anger cool, only for it to be reignited seconds later when he shrugged and said, “Sorry, I guess.”

“Seriously? ‘Sorry, I guess,’ is the best you can do? What the hell, Gabe?”

“What do you want me to say?” Gabe asked her incredulously with a shake of his head.

“I don’t know! Maybe say more than just ‘sorry, I guess!’ I thought our friendship meant something to you? I thought _I_ meant something to you,” Clementine yelled, angry tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

“God, don’t be so dramatic, Clementine! You act like just because I haven’t texted you in a little while that means I don’t care about you anymore,” Gabe retorted with a roll of his eyes.

“A little while? Gabe. You’ve barely talked to me since June!”

“And? Friends don’t have to talk to each other all the time!”

“Yeah, well, I thought we were more than just friends!” Clementine finally burst out, the words leaving her lips before she could stop herself. She sucked in a harsh breath and bit her lip, wishing with all her heart that she could take it back.

Gabe was quiet, refusing to meet her gaze as he stared into the distance. His dark eyes looked sad, but he chose to remain silent, furthering Clem’s feelings of embarrassment.

“Was it really all in my head?” Clem asked quietly, her voice strained as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Gabe sighed and looked up at the sky as he said, “Not totally.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that, yeah, I kind of liked you. But then you moved, and I guess I didn’t like you enough to want to do the whole long distance thing. So, whatever that means to you.”

“How long did you have feelings for me?”

“A while, I guess.”

“So why didn’t you do something before I had to move? It’s not like either of us knew Lee was going to lose his job, or that I’d have to leave.”

“Like I said, I liked you, just not enough.”

“Did you know I liked you?”

“Yeah,” Gabe admitted guiltily.

“If you knew that then why did you lead me on for so long?”

“I guess I just liked the attention? I don’t know. It was nice to know I had someone if I wanted someone. Like a back-up or something.”

Clementine scoffed and said, “Really? A back-up? Is that why you tried to flirt with me the last time you talked to me?”

Gabe refused to meet her gaze as he muttered, “Jane and I got into a fight. I just wanted to make sure you were still into me in case she and I didn’t make up.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Clementine spat.

Gabe shrugged and replied, “Look, I can’t change anything, all right? Besides, it’s not like you ever made a move on me. You just need get over it already!”

“Oh believe me, I am over it. Don’t bother trying to talk to me again. Just forget we ever met,” Clementine said, turning on her heel and marching through his backyard to go through the gate instead of walking through the house. She couldn’t face his family again after what had just happened. She noticed Mariana watching them from the patio doors, and refused to meet her eye.

As she pushed through the gate, she nearly ran into a girl who was coming in from the other side. She had short dark hair, and intense gray eyes lined with dark eyeliner. She was taller than Clementine, her lithe frame carrying her backwards easily as the gate swung open with more force than Clem had intended. She was just as pretty in person as she was in all the photos Clementine had seen of her on social media.

“Oh, hey,” Jane said, seeming confused by her presence. Apparently Gabe hadn’t even thought to mention her after all. Nice.

Clementine muttered a greeting in return before she hustled over to Sarah’s car and got into the passenger seat wordlessly. Sarah, having known her long enough, sensed that this wasn’t the time for questions, and quickly turned the key in the ignition and drove off down the street.

Once they were far enough from Gabe’s house, Sarah decided to test the waters and asked, “How did it go?”

“I think you know how it went,” Clementine grumbled as she leaned her head against the cool glass of the car window.

“I’m sorry, Clem. But hey, maybe you guys can still be friends?” Sarah said hopefully, apparently blissfully unaware that Gabe had been stringing her along on purpose.

“We will _never_ be friends again,” Clem stated emphatically before she spilled everything to Sarah.

Eventually they rolled to a stop outside of Sarah’s house, with Sarah staring wide-eyed at the steering wheel through the red frames of her glasses. Though they were the same age, Sarah was much more sheltered than Clementine, mostly due to her over-protective, helicopter parent, Carlos. The idea that someone close to her would be so dishonest was a shock to her, and Clementine knew it would take some time for her friend to wrap her head around Gabe’s actions.

“I just can’t believe he would do that to you,” Sarah finally said, turning to her with sympathetic eyes, “I always thought you guys would wind up together, you know? Like a fairy-tale.”

Clementine sighed and shrugged saying, “Me too. I guess we’re both disappointed, huh?”

And even though she knew she should be, somehow Clementine only felt hurt. Not because Gabe had rejected her, or because he hadn’t returned her feelings in the same way. It was simply because someone she trusted deeply as a close friend had made the decision to use her, taking advantage of her feelings in spite of the fact that he knew it would never go anywhere. Apparently, he hadn’t ever been her friend after all.

It was obvious to her now that she had managed to get over Gabe. Whatever romantic feelings she’d had for him before were gone, replaced by stronger feelings for someone new. Much as she hated to admit it, she’d managed to fall head over heels for Louis.

After all, it was him she was checking her phone at least once every hour. And it was him who occupied her stray thoughts, wondering what he was doing or what he was thinking about at this exact moment. And it was him who made her heart race whenever she thought of him, picturing the freckles that formed constellations on his cheeks or the way his eyes twinkled when he laughed.

Or made her heart ache when she considered the fact that he was probably in love with Sophie.

Somehow Clementine had set herself up for disappointment yet again.

“Clem? Are you okay?” Sarah asked, interrupting her thoughts. The silence had stretched on long enough that it had drawn the concern of her friend.

“Yeah, sorry. I just got carried away for a minute, but I’ll be fine,” Clementine said, not wanting to talk to Sarah about Louis just yet. She didn’t want to think about any boys at this moment, truth be told. For now, she just wanted to eat snacks, watch stupid movies, and spend time catching up on all the gossip from her old high school that she’d missed out on. “Hey. Why don’t we have a slumber party like we used to do when we were kids?”

“Oh my gosh! That sounds so fun, Clem!” Sarah exclaimed, her excitement fading a second later when she added, “Are you sure you’re in the mood for that?”

“That sounds like exactly what I need right now,” Clem told her with a smile, “Now come on. Let’s head over to Kroger and get some snacks!”

“We probably shouldn’t. My dad doesn’t want me eating too much sugar,” Sarah said uncertainly.

Clementine rolled her eyes and said, “He won’t know if we don’t tell him. Come on, you gotta live a little.”

“Since when did you become such a rebel, Clementine?” Sarah asked, her eyes wide behind the lenses of her glasses.

Clem opened her mouth to argue that she was hardly being rebellious (it was just candy, not _beer_ ), when it occurred to her that she had rarely suggested defying Carlos. At the realization, she suddenly felt like she didn’t quite fit here. At least, not in the way she’d used to. She was different now, though she had yet to decide if it was for better or worse.

“It’s just candy, Sarah,” Clem finally said, adding, “Besides, we can always get fruit if you’re that worried about it.” In the end, Sarah got a mixture of junk food and healthy food, though Clem made sure to sneak in some extra bags of gummi bears to tip the balance in her favor.

As they laid in their sleeping bags with _To All the Boys I Loved Before_ playing on Netflix, Clem felt her phone go vibrate next to her. When the screen illuminated, she saw it was a text from Louis and felt her face instantly flush.

**Louis [1 attachment 21:35]:** _Hey Clem! We miss you here_ _at the lodge_ _! You better not forget us!_

The message was accompanied by a picture of all of her new friends in front of a fireplace, mugs of steaming hot cocoa in hand. Louis was in the foreground, his grin wide, and she instantly downloaded the picture to her phone. Everyone else was behind him, smiling just as happily. She noticed Sophie was in the photo, too, but she was standing far from Louis, towards the back of the group.

**Clementine [21:36]:** _I miss you guys, too!_ _Have you hit the slopes yet_ _?_

**Louis [21:37]:** _Hell no! This guy doesn’t do the outdoors._

**Clementine [21:38]:** _Then why’d you suggest a trip to a ski lodge? Irony?_

**Louis [21:39]:** _There’s plenty of things to do here that don’t involve the outdoors. Maybe next year you’ll actually be able to_ _come_ _and I can show you a thing or two. ;)_

Her heart skipped a beat as she read the text again, wondering if he was trying to flirt with her. He’d never sent her a winking face before, and it seemed a little out of place now if he was just trying to make conversation.

**Clementine [21:41]:** _Or I could show you a thing or two about actually enjoying some fresh air._

**Louis [21:42]:** _Or we could compromise and spend the day outside, then spend the night inside. I have it on good authority that there is an excellent fireplace with many plush couches to curl up on._

It really seemed like he was flirting, but at this point, Clementine didn’t trust her own judgment. She’d trusted her gut when she thought Gabe had feelings for her, and she knew how that had turned out. A part of her wanted to ask Sarah, but Clementine imagined she was probably just as clueless. Duck had simply asked her to the homecoming game freshman year, and the rest was history. They had fallen into their relationship as if it had always been meant to be.

Plus, Sarah seemed completely fixated on the movie they were watching. She hadn’t even noticed that Clementine had been glued to her phone for the past ten minutes. It didn’t really seem right to interrupt her.

Her phone vibrated once more, and she looked down to see that Louis had sent her another message.

**Louis [21:49]:** _How are things in Georgia, anyway? Eat a lot of peaches yet?_

That made Clementine smile, and she tapped out a quick reply.

**Clementine [21:50]:** _I told you t_ _here’s more to eat in Georgia than peaches. :_ _P_ _But things are good. Just watching some movies with a friend at the moment._

**Louis [21:51]:** _Until you show me proof of a food other than peaches, I refuse to believe that statement. What movie are you watching?_

Clementine snapped a quick photo of the pile of junk food that she and Sarah were sharing and sent it to him, with a message attached.

**Clementine [1 Attachment 21:53]:** _Is this good enough?_ _W_ _e’re watching To All the Boys I Loved Before._

As she waited for his response, she turned her attention back to the movie and wondered what exactly he was up to now.

* * *

“What movie did she say?” Minnie asked as they all crowded around Louis and his phone.

“She sent this picture, and said she was watching _To All the Boys I Loved Before_ ,” Louis said, thinking the worst. The ‘friend’ she was probably with was Gabe, and they were watching some lovey-dovey rom-com bullshit which they would no doubt start making out to.

Everyone around him breathed a sigh of relief and Ruby said, “Then you’ve got nothin’ to worry about. That’s definitely the kind of movie two girls watch together.”

“Yeah, didn’t you say she had a friend named Sally or something?” Violet asked, her arm slung around Minnie’s shoulders.

“Sarah,” Louis corrected as he stared around at everyone, “Are you guys sure? Isn’t that the kind of movie guys put on to make girls want to fool around?”

“Seriously, dude? Those are horror movies,” Marlon scoffed, rolling his eyes at him, “They make chicks get all scared and cuddle up to you and stuff.”

“Oh really? I thought you just loved horror movies,” Brody said, crossing her arms and raising a brow at him.

Marlon’s eyes went wide as he tried to recover, saying, “Come on, babe. I would never do that to you! Horror movies _are_ my favorite. I promise!”

Brody just rolled her eyes, a soft smile playing at her lips as she said, “Louis, I don’t think she’s with him. If she was, would she really be texting you?”

“I guess not,” Louis said though he wasn’t totally convinced as he typed out his response to Clem.

**Louis [21:58]:** _I don’t think that really counts as food, but I guess you win this on_ _e since t_ _hey’_ _re not peaches._ _How’s the movie?_

**Queen Clem [21:59]:** _Kind of boring, to be honest._ _But it’ll be over soon, and then it’s my turn to pick. Got any recommendations?_

**Louis [22:01]:** _Hmmm._ _You could always_ _watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower._

Louis still had no idea if she was with one of her female friends or if she was spending time with that guy, Gabe. He wanted his friends to be right, but he didn’t feel like getting his hopes up. He was pretty sure she’d come back and tell everyone that she and Gabe were a couple now. If he were in Gabe’s shoes, he wouldn’t have waited so long to ask her out.

Except he _was_ in Gabe’s shoes, and he _had_ waited too long to ask her out. And now he faced a very real possibility that it would be too late for him.

**Queen Clem [22:03]:** _I thought you said the book was better._ _:P_

**Louis [22:04]:** _Touche. But it’s still worth a watch. :)_

**Queen Clem [22:05]:** _Fair enough. I’ll let you know if I like it!_

And with that, their text exchange was over. Louis didn’t want to bother her anymore, and figured it was best to let her have her time with Gabe. Much as it pained him, he knew he’d still respect her choice if they did get together while she was in Georgia. After all, he’d had his chance, and he’d blown it by taking things slow instead of telling her how he felt. Louis had let his stupid insecurities get the best of him time and again, and this was the price he had to pay.

Marlon seemed to notice the look on his face and sat down by him, saying, “Hey, cheer up, buttercup. She’s not the only chick in the world.”

“So you think she’s going to start dating that asshole?” Louis groaned as he took a drink of his hot cocoa.

“No. But you do,” Marlon said with a shrug, “And if you really believe she’s going to come back to West Virginia with a boyfriend, then it’s my job to remind you that there are plenty of eligible bachelorettes available. Like Sophie, for instance.”

“Dude! Come on. Sophie’s like a sister to me,” Louis retorted, his nose wrinkling at the thought, “Besides, I’ve only got eyes for Clem. She’s the apple to my pie. The milk to my cereal. The ketchup to my fries. The—”

“I get the picture, bro. You sure you’re not just hungry?” Marlon asked, an amused smile on his face.

“That _was_ a lot of food metaphors. But no. Just hungry for Clementine’s love,” Louis sighed wistfully as he stared into the fireplace.

“That sounded kind of gross,” Marlon remarked.

“Yeah, it definitely sounded way better in my head,” Louis agreed with a laugh.

“Look, just try not to let the whole Clem thing bum you out too much, okay? We’re all here for you, man,” Marlon said, rising to return to his spot next to Brody.

Louis looked at his friends who were laughing and chatting around the fireplace. He knew he had a lot to be grateful for, the situation with Clementine aside. What Marlon said was true: they would be there for him no matter what. Even if she did wind up dating Gabe, he wouldn’t be alone to deal with it. And even if she didn’t ever want to be with Louis romantically, he still really liked Clementine as a friend and would be happy to have just that with her.

He tried to be present with his friends that evening, but he couldn’t stop checking his phone for Clementine’s reply. However, he was disappointed each time the screen illuminated to show he didn’t have any new messages. It was only when he was finally drifting off that it chimed.

**Queen Clem [01:12]:** _That was interesting…_

**Louis [01:12]:** _Good interesting, or bad interesting?_

**Queen Clem [01:13]:** _Let’s just say interesting and leave it at that._

His stomach sank as he wondered if her opinion of him had changed. Not like it really mattered much now.

**Queen Clem [01:15]:** _Maybe it would have been better if we’d watched it together._

At that, Louis’s heart stuttered and he felt his cheeks turn hot. Was she flirting with him? Or just trying to make him feel better?

**Louis [01:16]:** _I’m always up for a movie night if you are. :)_

**Queen Clem [01:17]:** _I g_ _uess we’ll have to get together when I get back to Charles Town._

Louis typed ‘ _It’s a date_ ’ and deleted it several times, before he finally settled on:

**Louis [01:19]:** _Can’t wait!_


	22. Chapter 22

After their last exchange, Louis didn’t hear from Clementine for several days. He tried to keep himself occupied with his friends, spending his days playing piano or hanging out in the heated pool and his nights playing games and sitting by the fire. However, when everything was quiet and he was by himself, his thoughts would inevitably make their way back to her. No amount of distractions would be enough to keep him from thinking of her.

This particular evening’s entertainment was to watch a movie and play a drinking game along with it. It was Sophie’s turn to choose, and much to everyone’s dismay, her pick was _Twilight._ However, after an hour and a generous helping of shots, the movie didn’t seem that bad. The only thing that bothered him was how creepy Edward acted towards Bella. At one point he even watched her sleep without her knowing, which Sophie kept arguing was romantic even after the movie was over.

“Sophie,” Minnie said, clearly exasperated, “There is no universe in which something like that should be considered romantic.”

“He’s just trying to protect her! It shows how much he loves her,” Sophie shot back. She was like a dog with a bone and refused to concede her point.

“That’s not love. That’s obsession,” Mitch said with a roll of his eyes, “He’s acting totally fucked up. Please tell me that’s not actually what you look for in a guy.”

Louis watched as Sophie’s cheeks turned pink and her eyes darted over to him for a second before she looked back at Mitch and said, “It’s not supposed to be real. It’s just a fantasy. Like, an exaggeration of how you want a guy to be. Guys should be protective of their girlfriends. You would know if you ever bothered to date a girl for more than five minutes.”

They continued to bicker back and forth, but Louis tuned their conversation out as he wondered why Sophie had looked at him like that. She’d seemed almost nervous, though he had no idea why she would be. He didn’t really care what she looked for in a guy so long as she didn’t actually wind up dating a creep like Edward Cullen. Still, even if she did, Louis knew she had enough good friends who’d step in and help her out, so he wasn’t really worried.

“Well, I’m officially bored. C’mon Brody. Let’s find ways to entertain ourselves elsewhere,” Marlon said suddenly, rising off the couch and offering his hand to her.

“Marlon!” Brody scolded, though she took his hand anyway, a sly smile playing at her lips.

Louis stared after them with envy as they disappeared up the stairs. He pulled his phone out, hoping that maybe Clementine had texted him, only to be disappointed once again. He could only assume she was too busy with her friends to think of him. Part of him was happy she was having a good time, but the other, smaller part of him was bitter that it was so easy for her to set her new friends aside.

Instead of dwelling on his disappointment, he read over their old texts, wondering if maybe their last conversation had pushed her away. He’d tried being a bit flirty—something that didn’t come naturally to him—and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been too forward. She was probably turned off by his use of the winking emoji. Or maybe she didn’t like that he was trying to make plans with her so soon after their study sessions had ended.

Sophie’s voice cut through his anxiety and alcohol-ridden haze as she said, “Looks like the fire’s getting a little low. Should I add another log?”

Louis’s head jerked up, his spiraling effectively cut off. He scanned the room and found that it had emptied since he stopped paying attention, leaving only he and Sophie as its occupants. Apparently, someone had also taken the time to dim the lights on their way out, as the fire was currently their only source of illumination.

“Yeah, go for it,” Louis said with a shrug. He wasn’t ready for bed yet anyway. There was still some major brooding to be done. May as well do it by the fire where it was nice and cozy.

At that, she beamed at him and bounced over to the fireplace. Satisfied that he wasn’t going to freeze to death, Louis returned his attentions to his phone so he could figure out where he went wrong with Clem. That is, until he was distracted once more by Sophie sitting right next to him on the couch.

“What’cha doing?” she asked him, peering over his shoulder.

He quickly locked his phone and replied, “Nothing important.”

Sophie scoffed and said, “I saw Clem’s name. Were you texting her?”

“No. Just reading old texts and trying to figure out where I screwed up,” Louis sighed, resting his head against the back of the couch.

“I don’t understand why you’re wasting so much time worrying about her anyway. If she hasn’t seen what a catch you are by now, she probably never will,” Sophie said, the eye-roll evident in the tone of her voice.

Her words stung, causing a scowl to form on Louis’s face as he said, “Why do you always have to be such an asshole about me and Clem?”

“Excuse me?” Sophie asked, her eyes wide. It wasn’t the first time Louis had snapped at her, but it was certainly the harshest.

“You keep saying you don’t think she’s into me, that she’s never going to be into me, that I’m just wasting my time. I thought you wanted to help me, but all you’ve done for the last few months is make me feel like shit and doubt myself,” Louis told her, the alcohol loosening his tongue considerably, “I thought you were supposed to be my friend. Instead you’ve been acting like a dick.”

“You’re right,” Sophie interrupted, cutting him off, “I’m sorry. I just care about you, Louis, and I hate seeing you so depressed.”

That softened him, but only just, as Louis replied, “Well, you’ve got a weird way of showing it. If you hate seeing me depressed, why say shit that’s just gonna make me feel worse?”

“I’m not trying to make you feel worse,” Sophie said, leaning towards him and putting one of her hands over his, “I’m trying to make you see that there are more girls in the world than just Clementine.”

“Ha. You sound just like Marlon,” Louis said with a roll of his eyes, “He even said _we_ should get together. Crazy, huh?”

He heard her inhale a quick breath and glanced over at her to find her staring at him with an intensity he’d never seen from her before. “Is that really so crazy?” she asked him, her hand still on his.

“Uh, yeah, Soph. We’ve known each other forever. You saw me flick a booger onto the back of Mitch’s head one time. Not exactly boyfriend material,” Louis told her, his brow raised. What was she getting at? It wasn’t like she was into him anyway.

“Well what about me? Do you really think I’m not girlfriend material?” Sophie asked him.

“I didn’t say that. I just haven’t ever really thought about it before,” Louis lied in an effort to spare her feelings. He was certain she’d be upset if he told her that he had thought about it and already knew decidedly that she wasn’t even on the list of people he’d be willing to date. She usually got offended about little shit like that, and he wasn’t really in the mood to argue with her,

“So think about it. I’m pretty. I’m nice. Plus, I’m a really great kisser,” Sophie told him, her lips curving up into a sly smile.

“Yeah, I _definitely_ haven’t thought about what kind of kisser you are,” Louis said as he started to feel the uncomfortable urge to run.

“Then how about I just _show_ you what a good kisser I am,” Sophie told him, her other hand making its way to his chest. After that, her eyes fluttered closed and she began to move her face closer to his.

Louis froze as he waited for her to start laughing or yell ‘gotcha.’ However, when her lips started to brush his, he realized that she was actually trying to kiss him for real. Not wanting things to go further, Louis leapt up off the couch, backing as far away from her as he could without tripping over himself or a stray ottoman.

Sophie’s head snapped up from where she’d fallen, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Her mouth had fallen open in shock, and her cheeks were turning a bright crimson color. The embarrassment was written all over her face, and not knowing what else to do, he said, “I have to go to the bathroom.” Louis then turned on his heel and made for the nearest restroom.

After slamming the door and locking it, Louis leaned up against it and stared at himself in the mirror, wondering just what in the hell that was. Had Sophie actually tried to make a move on him? Or was she just drunk and carried away by the atmosphere? He could still feel the softness of her lips against his and shuddered. It was like his cousin had tried to kiss him.

Once his heart rate and breathing began to return to normal, Louis finally noticed the soft sounds of crying from the living room. Part of him felt compelled to go back and offer her some comfort, but what was there to say? Not to mention, he probably wouldn’t be able to think of the right thing to say anyway. He could barely do that when he was sober. Drunk? Not a chance.

Louis didn’t have time to decide one way or the other, because a moment later he heard her rise off the couch. Her footfalls were soft on the wooden floor, and he thought he was in the clear until they came to a sudden stop outside the bathroom. He held his breath, wondering if she was going to knock or try to talk to him. Time seemed to grind to a halt as he waited anxiously for her to try to force her way in.

But then he heard Sophie sigh, followed by her foot steps continuing past the bathroom to the stairs that led up to the bedrooms.

When he was certain she was gone, Louis finally let out the breath he was holding and exited the bathroom.

What the fuck just happened?

Sophie had never been anything more to him than a friend. Sure, she was pretty and she could be fun to be around, but that was about it. As far as Louis was concerned there wasn’t any spark there. So why did she feel that way about him? And how long had she felt that way? Was it his fault?

His chest tightened with guilt as he combed over their prior interactions looking for any signs that he may have led her on or given her the wrong idea. Should he have stopped her from buying him coffees? Maybe he should never have asked for her help with Clementine. Or maybe she thought his joking was really flirting?

Louis’s breathing started to quicken as his thoughts began to spin out of control. He really wanted to talk to someone about this, but everyone was asleep or otherwise engaged. The last time he’d interrupted Marlon and Brody, Marlon had nearly thrown him off the balcony. Much as he needed a friend right now, he preferred keeping his life and limbs intact.

As he slumped back on the couch, he felt his phone slide out of his pocket and in between the couch cushions. Louis went to dig for it, and the moment his fingers made contact with the slim device, he had a sudden thought. It was impulsive, likely driven by alcohol and desperation. However, he didn’t give himself a chance to second guess himself as he pressed the phone icon that would connect him with Clementine.

* * *

28, 29, 30.

Yep, still 30 glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on the ceiling. She remembered when she, Gabe, Sarah, and Duck had put them up there. Gabe and Duck had given she and Sarah a boost so they could finish quickly and not get caught. But of course Kenny had heard them giggling and asked them what in tarnation they thought they were doing. Even after he’d scolded them, he still left the stars up there, a testament to what a softy he really was.

Clem had hoped that counting them would help her sleep, but so far she’d done it three times over and felt nothing. She wasn’t entirely sure what was keeping her up. A part of her wondered if that was because she didn’t want to admit the reason to herself. It had been a while since a boy had made her lose sleep, especially a boy who she was waiting to text her. So far she hadn’t heard from Louis since she’d tried flirting with him, and couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been put off by her lame attempts at being cute over text.

It felt a little pathetic to be mooning over a guy, especially after she’d only just gotten over the last person she’d had a crush on. She had more important things to think about, like getting in shape for softball try-outs for instance. Or figuring out where she was going to go to college. Thinking about boys could wait a while.

Just as she was about to get up to get a glass of water, Clementine heard her phone vibrating on the end table. She picked it up quickly, wondering who would be calling her in the middle of the night. The sight of the name on the caller ID made her heart flutter, and without thinking she swiped the green icon to answer.

“Hello?” she said cautiously, assuming the call was a butt-dial and nothing more.

“Whoa. You actually picked up?” Louis replied, the surprise in his voice evident.

“Yep. That’s kind of what people do when they get a phone call,” Clem chuckled at his reaction.

“Even at 2:00 in the morning?” Louis countered.

“Is it really that late? I had no idea.”

“Don’t let me interrupt you if you’re having fun with your friends or something,” Louis said, something strange underlying the tone of his voice. Clementine wanted to ask, but didn’t get the chance as he continued, “I’d hate to ruin your night.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not. We’re a little more boring here in Georgia, and my friends are usually in bed by ten, even on weekends,” Clem told him, feeling embarrassed as she admitted how lame her life used to be. Rather than let him comment on it, she added, “What about you? I bet you’re in the middle of some wild game of Truth of Dare right now.”

“That was yesterday’s entertainment,” Louis told her, “Let’s just say the stakes get a lot higher when you’re up in the mountains and it’s ten degrees outside.”

“Do I even want to know?” Clem asked, imagining what kind of shenanigans they’d be getting up to. She had a feeling whatever the dares were, they would involve very few clothes.

“Well, Mitch may have unintentionally gotten up close and personal with a snow bank when we dared him to streak around the lodge,” Louis replied with a laugh, the sound of which made Clem smile. It had been too long since she’d heard it, and it was only in that moment that she realized just how much she missed him.

“Sounds like a lot of fun. Wish I could have been there,” Clementine said, unable to hide the sadness in her voice.

“Don’t. I saw _way_ more of Mitch than I ever wanted to,” Louis said, adding, “Besides, I’m sure whatever you’ve been up to has been a lot more fun than here.”

Though Clementine was grateful for the time she’d been able to spend with her old friends, she seriously doubted that statement. She had enjoyed seeing the girls from her old softball team, as well as going to the batting cages with them. And going out around town with Sarah and Duck to all their favorite spots had been nice, too. However, it felt like something was missing. There was always an air of excitement around the activities she participated in with her new friends that just wasn’t there with her old friends. Maybe she’d changed too much, or maybe they had. She wasn’t sure. The only thing she did know was that she was counting the days to when she could go back home.

“Clem?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re doing that creepy quiet thing again. Everything okay?”

“You tell me. You’re the one who called in the middle of the night.”

When he didn’t say anything right away, she felt bad for deflecting so quickly. Louis was just trying to be a good friend, and she had completely brushed him off.

“I guess I am, huh?” he replied, the same strange tone coming back, “Sorry. I wasn’t really thinking when I called.”

“It’s okay,” Clementine rushed out, not wanting him to feel guilty, “If you need someone to talk to I don’t mind.”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to bug you,” Louis said, growing distant.

“You’re not bugging me, I swear. It’s just nice to hear your voice again,” Clem told him without thinking. She felt her face get hot and tried to think of something else to say to distract him from what she’d just said.

However, before she could, Louis replied, “It’s nice to hear your voice, too. Been too long.”

The words she was about to say got caught in her throat, and Clementine felt her heart start to pound. Had he meant it? Or was he just saying that to make her feel better?

“Way too long,” Clem agreed, her cheeks still pink, “So, what’s on your mind tonight? Why’d you call?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Louis asked, “Have you ever thought you knew someone and then something happens and you realize you never really knew them at all?”

Clementine thought of Gabe instantly, and said, “Yeah. It really sucks. Especially if you’ve known them a while.”

“Do you ever wonder if it’s your fault, though? Like, maybe if you’d paid more attention or asked the right questions you could’ve seen it coming.”

“I don’t know. I guess I never thought of it like that. People do have a tendency to see what they want to see. But I don’t think that means you’re at fault or that you should’ve done things differently,” Clem said after a pause. She certainly didn’t blame herself for her own situation. Then again, maybe she should. After all, she had always assumed her feelings for Gabe were mutual just because she read into his actions in a way that confirmed what she wanted to be true.

“What if you hurt someone though? And you could have prevented it if you hadn’t been so stupid?” Louis asked her, his voice suddenly sounding strained.

His questions made it seem like there was more going on than him wanting to have a philosophical debate. “Did something happen tonight?” Clem asked, hoping to get to the bottom of whatever was actually bothering him.

Before he could answer, she heard what sounded like Violet in the background yelling something she couldn’t quite make out, after which Louis sighed and said, “Looks like I gotta go. It was good to talk to you, Clem. Let’s get together as soon as we get back to Charles Town, okay?”

“Okay…” Clem answered, adding, “You take care of yourself, Louis. Let me know if you need anything.”

The pause that followed was pregnant with all the things she wanted to say to him, and he simply replied, “I will. Bye, Clem.”

“Bye,” she said, and then the line went dead.

Naturally, their talk did little to help her sleep, and instead she spent most of the night tossing and turning wondering what Violet could be yelling at him about.

* * *

“Louis! You have some serious explaining to do!” Violet exclaimed from the door to the living room.

Louis was slightly irritated that his conversation with Clem was cut short and sighed, saying, “Looks like I gotta go. It was good to talk to you, Clem. Let’s get together as soon as we get back to Charles Town, okay?”

“Okay…” she replied to him uncertainly, making him wonder if she was even interested in seeing him, “You take care of yourself, Louis. Let me know if you need anything.”

He felt his words get stuck in his throat as he stopped himself from saying all the things he wanted to say to her. Instead, he replied, “I will. Bye, Clem.”

“Were you seriously just talking to Clem after being an asshole to Sophie?” Violet asked him, her arms crossed as she towered above him, radiating her trademark Violet fury.

“I needed someone to talk to,” Louis said in an attempt to defend himself.

“And Sophie didn’t? You could’ve at least done her the favor of telling her directly that you didn’t feel the same instead of making her fee like a fucking idiot,” Violet said with a roll of her eyes.

“Would it really have made her feel better?” Louis asked, meeting Violet’s gaze. She seemed to soften when she saw the sadness in his eyes, and joined him on the couch.

“I don’t know. Something would have been better than nothing. Louis, she’s totally fucking embarrassed. She won’t stop crying in our room,” Violet told him with a shake of her head, muttering as an afterthought, “Not like we didn’t warn her.”

“What do you mean, ‘warn her?’” Louis said as he sat up straight and stared hard into her eyes.

Violet had the decency to look guilty as she ran her fingers through her hair and said, “I guess Sophie’s had a crush on you for a while. I only found out about it a month ago, I swear! Anyway, Minnie and I both told her she needed to get over you, not try to get with you. I guess she didn’t listen though.”

“Yeah, no shit, Vi,” Louis replied, a scowl on his face, “Why didn’t you warn _me_? I thought we were friends!”

“How was I supposed to tell you? Sophie’s my friend, too! Do you really think I should have betrayed her trust just so you’d have a heads up? Would that have changed anything?”

Her words rang true, though Louis didn’t want to admit it. Even if he had known in advance, it was unlikely things would have gone any differently. He hated confrontation, and probably wouldn’t have said a word to Sophie until something exactly like this had happened.

“You’re right, Vi. I just can’t fucking deal with all of this,” Louis said, putting his head in his hands, “I had no idea she even thought of me like that.”

“If it makes you feel better, I didn’t either. Not until I overheard a conversation I shouldn’t have, anyway,” Violet said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, “What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. I should say something, right? Tell her I’m sorry, or whatever?” Louis asked, still unable to meet her eye.

“Is it really something you should be sorry for?” Violet said, adding, “You’re not obligated to have feelings for her.”

“No, but I probably shouldn’t have run away from her either,” Louis admitted with a sigh, “I just didn’t know what to do. She caught me completely by surprise. I thought she was just messing with me at first, and after I realized she wasn’t I followed my natural instinct.”

“Which was to hide in the bathroom?” Violet asked, her brow raised.

“Which was to avoid confrontation, and only happened to include hiding in the bathroom,” Louis corrected her.

“I don’t think that makes it better Guess it doesn’t make it worse either.”

“So what should I do, Vi?” Louis finally raised his head and looked at her to find she was staring back at him sympathetically.

“I think you should talk to her,” she answered, then added, “But good luck getting her to want to talk to you. She said she never wanted to see you again.”

“Seriously?” Louis exclaimed.

“Well, you did just reject her, then left her crying by herself on the couch. Look, she’s just upset right now, so she’s being hella dramatic. Give her some time. She’ll probably hate you less by tomorrow,” Violet shrugged.

“Thanks. That makes me feel so much better,” Louis said sarcastically.

“I’m sorry. I’m not really good at this shit, you know?”

“Yeah, clearly I’m not either.”

“It’ll get better, okay?” Violet said, rising off the couch and offering him her hand, “Moping on the couch all night probably won’t help, though. You should go to bed. It’s late anyway.”

Louis rolled his eyes, but took her hand and let her help him off the couch. As he followed her down the hall and up the stairs, he wondered if she was right. Would it actually get better? Or was this the end of their friend group as he knew it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you to everyone who's been following along with this story and who have been kind enough to leave comments and kudos. At the moment I'm going through it IRL, so I haven't had much energy to reply to comments or do much of anything besides deal with the disaster my personal life has become.
> 
> From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all the kind words and thoughts! You guys are the best, and I really hope you enjoy the rest of the story as it unfolds! <3


	23. Chapter 23

When Louis woke the next morning, he couldn’t help but wonder if last night had all been a bad dream. However, once he descended the stairs and entered the living space, the tension he felt in the air confirmed his fears that it had, in fact, been real. Minnie’s icy glare in his direction only added to the heaviness in the room. He thought for a moment that she’d told everyone, but the confused looks the rest of his friends shot each other eased that fear.

He glanced towards the edge of the room to find Violet staring at him. When their eyes locked, she tilted her head in a gesture that he should join her. Louis did so with great reservations, unsure if she was going to kick his ass or just straight up throw him through one of the large glass windows.

Much to his relief, she did neither. Instead, she gazed outside and whispered, “Sophie’s still a mess. She’s outside and won’t come in. Go talk to her, would you?”

He followed her eyes and saw the girl in question curled up in one of the deck chairs wrapped in a large blanket. She looked less like a person and more like a lump from this distance. “What am I supposed to say? I doubt she’s in the mood for my hilarious jokes.”

“One, your jokes aren’t hilarious. And two, you sort of did this. Now you need to undo it,” Violet replied with a glare that matched Minnie’s.

“First of all, my jokes are the height of comedy, thank you very much,” Louis corrected her, then added, “And second of all, if I go out there I’m just going to make it worse.”

“Probably, but it won’t kill you to try,” Violet said, giving him a shove towards the patio door, “Now go.”

Louis shot a glance over his shoulder to find everyone else staring at them curiously. Rather than make a scene, he sighed and pushed through the sliding glass door onto the deck. As he made his way over to Sophie, he expected her to react, but she remained still. He almost thought she was sleeping until he finally got close enough to see her staring into the distance, her bright blue eyes red-rimmed and puffy.

“Hey there, Soph,” Louis began uncertainly, taking a seat next to her. As his body made contact with the frigid surface, he shivered and wished he’d taken the time to grab his coat. “It’s pretty cold out here. You want to come back inside where it’s warm?”

“Not if you’re going to be there,” she replied, her voice sharp. He watched her pull the large comforter more closely around her, and knew she’d remain outside for the rest of the trip just to prove her point.

“Then I guess I’ll just have to stay right here,” he shrugged, wincing as he stretched out on the freezing deck chair.

“Seriously? What is wrong with you?” Sophie snapped as she finally faced him, “Have I not made it totally obvious that I don’t want to be anywhere near you? Why do you have to be like this?”

“Like what?” Louis asked.

“Just…so…nice!” she finally spat like it was an insult, “You act so cute and sweet, then expect girls not to fall for you? How can you be so cruel?”

“Look, Sophie, I’m sorry if I did something to make you think I had feelings for you, but I promise it wasn’t on purpose,” Louis said as he sat up.

“Oh, ‘cause that makes me feel so much better!” Sophie shouted, tears welling in her eyes once more, “I’m so happy that you didn’t _try_ to make me like you. It’s so nice to know that I stupidly did this all on my own.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” Louis said, as he tried to reach out a comforting hand. When she flinched away, he sighed and ran it through his dreads, saying, “You’re not stupid, Sophie. You can’t help it if you catch feelings for someone. It’s just something that happens.”

“Yeah, well, it’s stupid and unfair and all your fault,” she yelled and crossed her arms over her chest.

Louis sighed heavily, the guilt weighing on him as he said, “You’re right. I’m sorry, Sophie. I never meant to hurt you. I know that doesn’t matter to you, but I swear I would never do anything make you upset. At least, not on purpose.”

She only huffed and turned away from him, her arms still folded tightly. Apparently there was nothing he could do to make the situation right.

“Okay. I get it if you don’t want to be friends anymore,” Louis said, his voice heavy with defeat as he rose off the deck chair, “I’ll go pack up my things and figure out a way home so you can have fun with everyone. I won’t be in the way.”

He started to walk away, but felt her hand wrap around his wrist as she cried, “Wait!”

Louis turned back and found her staring up at him, her eyes filled with emotion. He felt the same uncomfortable feeling as the night before and immediately turned to humor, saying, “What? You want to hit me or something before I go?”

“No, you idiot,” Sophie said with a shake of her head, “I don’t want you to go, Louis.”

“Then what do you want? What can I do to make this better?” Louis asked, desperate to mend things so that their friend group could stay the way it was.

“Date me,” Sophie said without hesitation. His mouth popped open to protest, but she wouldn’t let him say anything as she continued, “I know you don’t like me like that right now, but you could grow to like me. I deserve to have a shot, Louis. You owe me after making me feel so bad.”

The words were on the tip of his tongue: ‘No.’ ‘I like Clementine.’ ‘You’re like a sister to me.’ But instead of saying them, Louis let them dangle there as he choked on his guilt.

In this moment, it seemed like the easier path. If he dated Sophie, he wouldn’t lose half his friend group. Everything could stay the same, for the most part. Plus, there was also the added benefit of getting to make up for hurting her feelings. And who knows? Maybe he would grow to like her in time.

“Louis,” Sophie said after his lengthy silence, “Say something.”

He was this close to saying okay. If it would make things better, it was worth a shot, right?

Yet as he stared down into her eyes, Louis knew that he’d never fall for her. He’d known her for years and never once had he seen her that way. No matter how much he forced himself, he knew he wouldn’t be able to develop romantic feelings for Sophie. In truth, he’d probably hurt her more if he accepted her proposition. She’d get her hopes up only to have them crushed when he inevitably broke up with her in a few months.

“I’m sorry, Soph, but I can’t do that,” Louis finally told her, hanging his head.

“Why? Because of Clementine?” she asked venomously.

“No, Sophie, because of you,” Louis said, his head snapping up as he met her gaze, “I just don’t see you that way. I never have, and I know I never will. You’re a good person and a good friend, but that’s it. I’m sorry, but it would hurt you a lot more for me to agree to something I know isn’t right.”

For a moment he thought she would yell at him or start crying, but instead she just shook her head, a sad smile on her lips as she murmured, “I’m such an idiot.”

Louis got down on his knees so he was at eye-level with her and said, “You’re not an idiot.”

“No, I am. I should never have made a move on you. Now everything’s going to be all weird.”

“It doesn’t have to be. I don’t want this to end our friendship. You mean a lot to me, Soph,” Louis told her.

Sophie rolled her eyes and said, “I’m not going to stop being friends with you. I just need some space right now, so I can recover from the most humiliating moment of my life.”

“That’s fine. I’ll give you as much space as you need,” Louis said, scooting backwards on his knees to prove it.

Somehow, she laughed, though weakly. “You’re so dumb sometimes.”

“True, but it’s all part of my charm,” he said, then regretted his words instantly. The last thing Sophie wanted to think about was his charm. He quickly added, “Anyway, let’s go back inside. It’s fucking freezing out here.”

“In a minute. There’s something I want to say to you,” Sophie said, her expression serious, “You need to shoot your shot with Clementine when we get back to town.”

“Really? You’re giving me advice on my love life right now? That’s unusually mature of you,” Louis joked.

“I’m not kidding, Louis. You can’t just wait around forever hoping she’ll realize you’re into her or whatever. If you wait too long, you might end up like me.”

“Aren’t you the one who told me she’d just say no?” Louis asked, though it dawned on him then that Sophie may have only been saying that because of her feelings for him.

“Well, if she does reject you then it’ll give me something to laugh about,” Sophie shrugged as she stood from the deck chair, “But something tells me she’s not going to.”

“Oh yeah? Something like a crystal ball or some tarot cards? Or did you call up a fortune teller? Because that’s pretty much the only thing I’ll trust at this point,” Louis said as they walked towards the lodge together.

“No, something like the fact that she obviously likes you, dingus,” Sophie replied with a roll of her eyes.

“Obvious to who, exactly? You’re the one who said you haven’t seen any signs,” Louis exclaimed.

“You are seriously the most oblivious person I have ever met,” Sophie said, shaking her head, “Just trust me, okay, Louis? Tell her how you feel, or else it might be too late.” And with that, she slid the door open to the lodge, effectively ending their conversation.

Everyone asked them questions about what they were doing out there, which Louis answered with jokes and Sophie just shrugged off. He hardly paid attention to what anyone said, however, because he was too busy thinking about what she’d said about Clem.

Could it be true? His heart raced as he considered the possibility that she actually returned his feelings. It was all he’d wanted since his crush on her had developed.

He wanted to talk to Sophie more about it, but knew he needed to respect that she really didn’t want to be around him right now. So much so, in fact, that she immediately went upstairs with Minnie and Violet, leaving him to field the rest of the questions his friends threw his way.

* * *

“So what happened?” Minnie asked as soon as they were alone.

“Yeah. Did he at least apologize?” Violet joined in.

“He did,” Sophie said as she stared out the window. She didn’t really feel like talking right now, but knew her sister was worried about her. She could humor Minnie for a few minutes if only to make her feel better.

“And? Do we still hate him or what?” Minnie said.

“No, we don’t,” Sophie told them, turning just in time to see them share a look. She felt a spark of irritation and asked, “What was that about?”

“We’re just surprised,” Violet said with a shrug, “We figured you’d tell us we could never speak to him again, and that we needed to put gum in his dreads or something.”

Sophie rolled her eyes and said, “It’s not like we’re best friends. I still don’t want to see him right now, but I can’t stay mad at him. Not when I’m the one who made things weird.”

“You’re acting really strange. What did he say to you out there?” Minnie asked, her expression concerned.

“He told me the truth. He never liked me that way, and he never will. This whole time I thought it was Clementine’s fault he didn’t notice me. But it was just because it was me that he didn’t notice me. So I guess I need to get over it,” Sophie said with a shrug.

“Sophie, you know you’re a great girl, right?” Minnie said, coming over and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “Don’t let this whole thing with Louis make you forget that. Just because he’s not into you, doesn’t mean you’re not a worthy person.”

“Yeah, I know,” Sophie replied as she forced herself to smile, “If it’s okay with you guys, I think I just want to be alone for a while. Go have fun with everyone. I’ll be fine.” She could tell that Minnie didn’t believe her, but her twin also knew her well enough to know that if she didn’t want to talk it was best to just let her be.

“We’ll be downstairs if you need anything, okay? Just shoot me a text, and I’ll be right up,” Minnie said. She crossed the room and grabbed Violet’s hand, then the two of them left together.

Once she was alone, Sophie curled up in her bed and stared out the window at the snow-covered landscape. She’d cried so much the night before that she didn’t think she had any tears left. However, she was proven wrong a moment later when they began to well in her eyes, blurring the trees and mountains.

It was hard to accept that it was over, and harder still to accept that it was simply because she wasn’t good enough for him. All that time she’d spent trying to get him to notice her had been wasted, because she’d never been the kind of girl he’d be into. He’d said so himself on the deck. Louis never saw her that way, and he never would. No amount of cute hairstyles, nice outfits, and perfect makeup would make her his type. Maybe if she’d spent more time working on her insides instead of her outsides things would have been different.

Sophie wasn’t sure why she’d told him to pursue Clementine. Her heart hurt just thinking of the two of them together. She supposed is was her way of making up for all the horrible things she’d said about Clem and all the ways in which she’d tried to get in Louis’s way. They probably would have started dating a long time ago if it hadn’t been for her.

She wondered how things would be now that she’d made such a fool of herself. It helped that only Minnie, Violet, and Louis knew. If anyone else found out, she’d probably die of embarrassment. Thankfully she knew she could at least trust Minnie and Violet. Louis could be a bit of a gossip sometimes, but she doubted he’d say anything, if only because he seemed to feel so bad.

She could still picture the pain in his eyes when he’d looked down at her and told her he couldn’t date her. It was almost enough to make her truly forgive him, though not quite. She knew it would be a while before she was ready to be friends again, and even longer for her to finally let go of her resentment.

Rather than join everyone downstairs, Sophie spent the rest of the day in her room watching the sun make its course across the sky. As it finally descended below the horizon, she laid down and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

“Clem? Earth to Clementine!” Sarah said, waving a hand in between her face and her cellphone.

The two of them were hanging out in Kenny and Katjaa’s living room watching Duck play video games. Or at least they had been, until Katjaa asked Duck to help her finish cooking dinner. Duck had grumbled and done his best teenage boy impression, but Clem knew he secretly loved helping his mom in the kitchen.

However, since Duck had left the room that meant Clementine could no longer get away with staring at her phone.

“In my defense,” Clem began as she locked her screen and slid the device into her hoodie pocket, “ _Fortnite_ is a seriously boring video game.”

“Maybe, but Duck is really good. He wants to be a professional _Fortnite_ player when he graduates. And as his girlfriend, it’s my job to support him,” Sarah said, then added, “Even if it is boring. The least you could do is keep me company. What’s so interesting on your phone anyway? Is Gabe texting you? Don’t tell me you’re still into him after everything that happened.”

“I’m not!” Clem exclaimed, her cheeks turning pink.

“Then why are you blushing?” Sarah asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I am _not_ blushing,” Clementine insisted. She could feel her cheeks turn from pink to red and willed herself to chill out.

“You _so_ are!” Sarah yelled, pointing at her cheeks, “Your face is practically glowing!”

“Okay, fine, I’m blushing! Please stop yelling about it!” Clem hissed, worried that Katjaa and Duck would hear the commotion and come to see what was going on.

“I will if you tell me what you’re blushing about,” Sarah whispered back, her eyes bright with curiosity.

“Wow, blackmail? That’s so unlike you, Sarah,” Clementine remarked with a raised brow.

She felt bad when Sarah’s expression immediately turned guilty and she began to backpedal, saying, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to blackmail you!”

“Sarah, it’s fine,” Clem sighed with a shake of her head, “I was just teasing you.”

“Well, I promise you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Sarah said, her hand over heart, “But let me just say for the record that you shouldn’t talk to Gabe after he acted like such a jerk.”

“I’m not talking to Gabe,” Clementine told her, “Like I said before, we’ll never be friends again.”

“So if it’s not Gabe who has you glued to your phone, then who does?” Sarah asked, her head titled to the side.

Clem almost considered not telling her the truth, but realized that she didn’t have anyone else to talk to about Louis besides her dad. It might be nice to get the perspective of someone her own age, even if Sarah was a little naive sometimes. Plus they’d been best friends for a long time. If there was anyone she could trust with her feelings it was Sarah.

“His name is Louis,” Clementine finally admitted.

“And you like him? Like, like-like him?” Sarah asked, scooting closer to her.

Clem fought the urge to roll her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile as she said, “Yeah, I do.”

Sarah squealed and said, “Clem, that’s so exciting!”

“It would be if Louis didn’t like somebody else,” Clementine shrugged, slumping back into the couch as her smile faded.

“Seriously? That stinks!” Sarah said, her expression mirroring Clem’s, “Who is she? What’s she like?”

“Her name is Sophie. They’ve been friends since they were kids. She’s really pretty, and she has a lot in common with Louis,” Clem explained, “That’s why I’ve been spending so much time on my phone. Louis and all of our friends took a trip to a ski lodge, and I just know he and Sophie going to start dating.”

“So you’re waiting for them to make it Facebook official? Or put it on the ‘Gram?”

“Pretty much. It’s only a matter of time.”

Sarah hummed thoughtfully but didn’t say anything else. Clementine waited, though it seemed as though her friend didn’t have any other comments or questions.

“Everything okay over there, Sarah?” Clem finally asked when she couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“I’m just surprised at you, Clem,” Sarah answered quietly, unable to meet her gaze.

“What does that mean?” Clementine said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You’re usually so confident. You’ve never been afraid to go after what you want or speak your mind. It’s actually one of the things I admire most about you,” Sarah said, still staring at the floor, “So I guess I just don’t get why you always let the guys you like slip through your fingers.”

“Are you saying it’s my fault he has a crush on another girl?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying!” Sarah insisted, finally looking up at her, “I just mean that it doesn’t seem like you to sit around on the sidelines and give up without a fight. How do you even know for sure he likes this other girl?”

“We were all playing truth or dare, and someone asked him if he had a crush on someone and he said yes,” Clem explained.

“And…?” Sarah asked, staring at her expectantly.

“And it’s obvious that he meant Sophie. You’d understand if you were there.”

“Did he look right at her? Or say something about it being an old friend?”

“No,” Clem answered, prepared to further defend her position.

She didn’t get a chance, however, as Sarah continued her questioning, “Okay, did he say it was someone he had a lot in common with? Or that he was already really close with this person?”

“Well, no—”

“Then what makes you so sure it’s this Sophie person? Who says he wasn’t talking about you?”

“Because we barely knew each other! Who gets a crush on someone they just met?”

“Lots of people, Clem! That’s how love at first sight works,” Sarah said with a roll of her eyes, “Look, I’m not saying he definitely like-likes you, but I think you need to think really hard about why you’re so sure it’s Sophie.”

Clementine opened her mouth to argue, but Katjaa entered the room, effectively ending the conversation as she told them dinner was ready.

“Duck,” she said, turning around to speak into the kitchen, “Go outside and get Lee, AJ, and Kenny. I swear sometimes I think that man loves his boat more than he loves me.”

“You know that’s not true, Katjaa,” Sarah said as she rose off the couch, “Kenny would be a mess if he didn’t have you.”

“Just like Duck would be lost without you, dear,” Katjaa said, tweaking Sarah’s cheek before turning to Clementine and asking, “Are you coming, Clem?”

Clementine nodded mutely, standing and following them into the kitchen so she could help set the table. As the room filled with more people, she was surrounded by conversation, though she heard little of what was said. Instead, she was lost in thought, considering what she and Sarah had discussed. She tried to think of all the times where she’d seen Louis and Sophie together that would confirm her theory.

There was that time at the party where…Louis had spent most of the night with her and not Sophie. Or the time where they ran into each other at the mall…and Louis had spent the whole day with her instead of running back to Charles Town to see Sophie. Or that time on Halloween when…Louis seemed to wind up next to her a lot, instead of walking with Sophie. And then there was the time when Louis had asked her to tutor him, and not Sophie, even though Sophie was in the same level math class as him.

Clementine’s heart started to pound as she considered the possibility that she’d been wrong this whole time. After all, it seemed like Louis found a lot of excuses to spend time with her. And he always wound up sitting next to her whenever the whole gang was together. She hadn’t really paid it too much attention before, assuming it was just luck or chance. It made her stomach flutter to think that maybe it had been much more purposeful than she’d initially thought.

Still, she’d been burned before. It was difficult for her to accept the idea that Louis had actually been talking about her the night of the party. Perhaps she’d have her answers after winter break was over. If she got back to school and Louis and Sophie were a couple, then she could tell Sarah ‘I told you so.’ But if they weren’t, maybe she’d finally go for it.

Or not.

Why did it have to be so hard?

* * *

There was an awkwardness that hung over the rest of their trip, and Louis was grateful when they were finally on the road and heading home. Sophie made few appearances after what had happened, which only added to the tension. It also made him worry about her like crazy. He still felt partially responsible for everything, and wanted to make sure she was okay. However, both Violet and Minnie made it very clear that he wasn’t to go anywhere near her.

He just wished everything could go back to normal. The weirdness between he and Sophie was obvious to everyone, which only made things worse. Louis knew his friends were curious about what had transpired, though the only ones brave enough to ask were Marlon and Mitch. Since he didn’t want to make Sophie anymore upset with him than she already was, he lied and told them it was a fight over _Twilight._ He could tell that Marlon didn’t believe him, and he desperately wanted to tell his best friend the truth.

Having no one he could talk to about the situation was practically killing him. Normally he’d go straight to Marlon, but he knew that wasn’t an option. And while Minnie and Violet weren’t mad at him, they obviously didn’t want to talk to him about it either. So, that left him with no one. Louis had almost called Clementine to talk to her about it, but figured she was the last person Sophie would want to know about what happened.

He kept opening up their text conversation and typing out messages to her, only to delete them immediately. The last time he’d heard from her was when he’d impulsively called her several nights ago. After that it had been radio silence.

Finally Louis tired of his own indecision and he tapped out a message, hitting send before he could change his mind:

**Louis [18:33]:** _Hey there Clemster! You back in Charles Town yet?_

He didn’t expect to hear from her quickly, but when his phone buzzed a second later he had no doubt in his mind who it could be.

**Queen Clem [18:34]:** _I thought we agreed on Queen Clem? And no, not yet. Our flight doesn’t get in until late tonight._ _What about you?_

**Louis [18:34]:** _My bad! Queen Clem_ _it is. :)_ _We’re on the road right now. Sounds like we’ll be getting back to town around the same time._

**Queen Clem [18:35]:** _Funny how that worked out. And i_ _f it were up to me, you’d stick with Clementine. :P_

**Louis [18:35]:** _Yeah but where’s the fun in that? ;)_

**Queen Clem [18:36]:** _I guess I can’t argue with you on that on_ _e lol_

Louis tried and failed to think of something clever to say. Rather than let the conversation die, he decided to switch gears and get down to business.

**Louis [18:37]:** _That’s just because you know you’ll lose! Anyway you have any plans tonight?_

**Queen Clem [18:37]:** _Is that a serious question?_

**Louis [18:37]:** _The most serious._

**Queen Clem [18:38]:** _Yeah, no. There’s not much I can fit into the half hour I’ll_ _probably_ _have before curfew._

**Louis [18:38]:** _So you’re free then?_

**Queen Clem [18:38]:** _Yes, Louis. I’ll be free._

He couldn’t tell if she was annoyed with him or not, but Louis needed to stall until he got up the courage to do what he should have done a long time ago.

**Louis [18:39]:** _Then you won’t mind if I drop by to give you your Christmas present._

* * *

Clementine stared down at the message and tried to decide if she should say yes. The thought of seeing him sooner than she’d planned on made butterflies light up her stomach.

She’d been surprised that he’d messaged her at all, especially since she hadn’t heard from him since he’d called her that night. Clem hadn’t been able to decide if it was because he was embarrassed, or because she’d said the wrong thing to him. Either way, she’d done her best to stop checking her phone once Sarah had called her out for being glued to the device.

Truthfully she was thankful that he’d messaged her. She’d needed a distraction as they were in the midst of their drive to the airport, and AJ was anxious to be headed home. He was currently bouncing up and down in the back seat and talking a million miles an hour about everything he wanted to tell Tenn. It was sweet that he’d made such a close friend, but it was hard to listen to him recounting every detail of their trip. Especially since she’d been there for most of it.

“And then we saw all those lights in Atlanta! It was so pretty! I bet Tenn didn’t get to see any lights,” AJ rambled on, “I can’t wait to show him all my cool Disco Broccoli action figures! Clem, do you think Louis will want to play Disco Broccoli with us?”

Clem’s cheeks turned pink at the mention of Louis, and she chose not to look at Lee as she answered, “I don’t know, goofball. He’s probably too busy right now.”

“You always say he’s busy, Clem,” AJ huffed. She could hear the frown on his face as he continued, “But he wasn’t too busy when you guys were studying together every week. Is he going to keep coming over when we get back home? Because if he is then we can play Disco Broccoli all the time!”

“The semester’s over, kiddo. I don’t think he’ll need anymore help from me now that he’s learned some good study habits,” Clementine explained, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.

“That’s not fair! Louis is my friend, too. You can’t stop him from coming over just because you don’t have anything boring to do now,” AJ whined.

Clementine turned in her seat to scold him and saw the hurt written all over his face. It dawned on her that he might be taking what she’d said personally, and she patted his knee as she said, “Hey, I bet he’ll set up a video game night with you soon. When we get back to school I’ll make sure of it, okay?”

AJ seemed to be placated by that, and went back to listing off all the things he couldn’t wait to do when they got back home.

That left Clementine to decide if she was ready to face Louis so soon after her conversation with Sarah. When she glanced down at her phone, she saw that he’d sent her another message.

**Louis [18:42]:** _I promise it won’t take long. I’_ _ll be gone before you even notice I’m there._

Clem’s heart pounded an uneven rhythm in her chest as she typed out her response.

**Clementine [18:44]:** _Okay._ _I’ll text you after my dad goes to bed so he won’t be all weird about you showing up so late._

**Louis [18:44]:** _Hell yeah! Say the word and I’ll be on my way. :_ _)_

**Clementine [18:45]:** _Sounds good. :_ _)_

She had a gift for him as well, so it worked out nicely that she’d be able to give it to him privately. He was the only person she’d bought a souvenir for, and she didn’t relish the idea of making everyone else feel bad. Either that, or they’d figure out she had a massive crush on Louis, which didn’t really appeal to Clem in the slightest.

The day seemed to slow to a crawl now that she’d made plans to see Louis. The line to get through the TSA security check looked like it was a mile long and felt like it took hours to get through. Their flight also felt like it was in no hurry to get them home even though it was only supposed to last an hour and a half.

Clem was so on edge that even Lee took notice. “You all right there, Clementine?”

She felt like she’d been caught, and her face flushed as she glanced at Lee and said, “Yeah. Why?”

“Well, your leg’s been bouncing nonstop since we got on the plane,” Lee remarked.

“I’m just nervous. From flying. You know, heights and all that,” Clementine lied uneasily.

“Hm. Well, don’t worry. The flight’s almost over, and then we’ll be home before you know it,” Lee replied. She didn’t know if he believed her or not, but was grateful that he didn’t press her further.

Of course, they had different definitions of ‘before you know it.’ The drive home took longer than it usually did, thanks to a snow storm that had decided to conveniently make an appearance. And when they finally got settled in, Lee seemed like he was dragging out his nighttime routine. It was after midnight by the time she was positive that all the lights in the house were off and everyone was safely tucked into their beds.

**Clementine [00:13]:** _Hey, sorry it’s so late. Everyone’s finally asleep if you still want to come over._

She assumed he’d be asleep by now, and didn’t expect a response. However, her heart started to pound when her phone vibrated a moment later with a new message.

**Louis [00:13]:** _I’ll be there in a jiffy!_

As she padded down the stairs, she did her best to calm her nerves. After all, Louis was just a boy. Even if he and Sophie were a couple, they’d still be friends, right? That would be enough for her. It had to be.

* * *

Louis’s heart raced as he drove towards Clementine’s house. Naturally, a freak snow storm had blown in while he’d been waiting for her to get home. As picturesque as the scenery now was, he didn’t appreciate the way the roads were covered and how long it was making the usually short drive take. He’d already lost and regained his nerve twice since she’d agreed to let him come over. This wasn’t helping, especially since it would be easier to turn around than brave the elements.

However, he’d been putting this off for way too long. Everyone had been telling him for the last few months that he needed to just go for it. Louis hadn’t listened, instead letting his anxiety get the best of him. Having spent the entirety of his vacation anxious that she’d wind up with someone else, coupled with the way things had gone down with Sophie made him realize that he didn’t have forever. He couldn’t wait around anymore, especially with someone as important to him as Clementine.

When Louis finally turned onto her street, he decided to park down the block just in case Lee woke up. It’d be easier to make a clean getaway if he weren’t directly in front of the house. He sat for a moment, taking a couple deep breaths, then exited his car carefully so as not to fall on his ass in the snow.

As he got closer to her house, he saw her waiting on her front porch. Louis opened his mouth to call out a greeting, however he stopped short when she put her finger over her mouth as she started to make her way down the walk to him. Instead of her usual baseball cap, she wore a knit hat with a pom on top. The coat she had on was oversized, maybe her dad’s. It made her look small, which was ironic with the way she loomed so large in his heart.

“Sorry,” she said quietly when they finally met in the middle, “I don’t want my dad to wake up.”

“Right! My bad,” Louis said, scratching the back of his neck, “How was your trip? Anything interesting happen?” He held his breath as he waited for her to tell him she’d gotten together with Gabe.

“It was good. Everything was pretty much the same as when I left. I finally got to go to some decent batting cages to see if I’ve gotten rusty,” Clem told him with a shrug. She paused for a second, then looked up at him through snow covered lashes and asked, “How was the lodge? You guys do anything crazy?”

“Nothing that you’d be surprised about. We drank, we laughed, we made fools out of ourselves. You know, the usual stuff,” Louis said. He hesitated, then added, “Really wish you could’ve been there, though.”

“Yeah, me too,” she said with a small smile, her cheeks pink, “How is everyone? Did Ruby and Aasim finally make their move?”

“Are you kidding?” Louis laughed, “Those two are as dense as a cake made out of lead. They’re not going to ask each other out until they’re, I don’t know, 80?”

His heart warmed as his comment elicited a quiet chuckle from her. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just thought with the romantic atmosphere and all that something was bound to happen.”

“Nope. Nothing romantic happened besides Marlon and Brody making out on every couch in the lodge. But I don’t really consider that romantic,” Louis shrugged. He noted the subtle way her expression changed, though he couldn’t tell at the moment just what she was thinking.

“So…” Clem said, staring up at him expectantly.

“So…what?” Louis asked, content to gaze into her eyes. It had been way too long since he’d seen them in person.

“So, you turned up at my house empty handed. I thought you wanted to give me a Christmas present?” She titled her head to the side and smirked up at him in the way that made his heart race, and for a moment he was speechless.

“Right, yeah, your present,” he stuttered out when he regained his senses. Louis dug around in his pocket, fishing out his headphones and his cellphone. “Here.”

“You’re giving me headphones?” Clem asked, her brow raised as she took the earbuds from his outstretched hand.

Louis rolled his eyes and said, “Put them in your ears so you can use them for their intended purpose.”

Her brow remained raised, but she did as he asked while he looked for the audio track he’d recorded and added to his phone the moment he got back to town. His heart continued to thud out an uneven rhythm in his chest as he hesitated to push the button.

This was it. It was now or never.

Louis pressed play.

He watched her face to see if she would recognize the piece now that it was finished. The last time she’d heard it had been almost two months prior. He didn’t expect her to remember it, especially since it had only been an idea of a song at the time.

However, a moment later Louis saw her eyes light up, and a grin overtook his face. That is, until he remembered that just because she knew what it was didn’t mean she actually liked it.

When the song was finished, she pulled the earbuds out and handed them back to him. Louis quickly shoved them into his pocket, then looked back at her. Clem’s expression was once again unreadable, and he cursed himself for falling for someone who was such an enigma.

“It’s the song that you were writing…” Clem trailed off.

“I wrote it for you,” Louis blurted out in response. Her eyes widened at that, and Louis knew he had to say what he needed to say now, or else he might lose his nerve. “Partially to say thank you for spending all that time tutoring me. But mostly because you mean so much to me, Clem. Everyone hears the jokes, the piano…and after that, they stop listening. You didn’t. Clementine, I—”

Before he could finish his thought, a light flicked on in the upper level of the house. Clem must have seen it shine across the snow covering her lawn, because she whipped around, her expression panicked.

“Louis, you have to go,” she hissed, “Lee will kill me if he catches you out here.”

“But I—”

“Seriously! I don’t want to be grounded again,” Clem insisted.

Nope. He’d come too far to just give up now. If she didn’t want to hear him out, he was going to have to take some drastic measures.

“Okay, just one more thing,” Louis said, taking a step closer to her.

“Okay, what?” Clementine asked, her head still swiveled around and staring at the house.

“This,” Louis said, as he reached out his hands and cupped her face. This got her attention, and she looked up at him, eyes wide as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was a soft kiss that lingered only a few moments before it was over, after which he grinned down at her and said, “See ya!”

With that, he ran off down the street to where he parked his car, the snow falling around him. He hoped he hadn’t made the worst decision of his life, but at least now Clementine knew without a doubt how he felt about her. He wondered how long it would take her to tell him how she felt about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we've finally reached the end! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through the sporadic updates and general difficulties at the end! I hope it was worth the ride. <3
> 
> Don't worry though. If you go to the next chapter there's a preview for the first chapter of the sequel I plan on writing called, When I'm With You.


	25. When I'm With You Preview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a teaser for the next part of this story! Admittedly it'll be a while before I have it even close to finished, but it'll be a lot less pining and a lot more Clouis! <3

Had that actually just happened, or was she imagining things?

Clementine stood in the falling snow, rooted to the spot where her world had officially turned upside down. One second she’d been worried about her dad catching her and trying to figure out why Louis had written an entire song for her. The next second, Louis was kissing the breath right out of her—which might have helped her figure out the song thing at least.

And much like the first time they’d met, he’d run off into the night after changing everything.

The only difference was that this time she wasn’t going to let him get away.


End file.
